Though trained to diagnose and treat a battery of illnesses from the common cold to a sprained ankle, primary care physicians (PCPs) are the linchpin in the battle against heart disease.
Whether they specialize in family or internal medicine, these doctors are the first line of defense against the “gateway” diseases that lead to cardiac illness. These illnesses include obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.
Those conditions are often caught by a primary care doctor performing tests, either when a patient presents with symptoms or when identified by routine screening.
Dr. Thomas McKinley, a specialist in primary care and wound healing with Knox Community Hospital, has been practicing in Mount Vernon since 1998. McKinley told the Mount Vernon News that when caught early, these illnesses have a lower risk of contributing to heart disease, the nation’s No. 1 killer.
“We take care of patients 16 and older for their general care,” he said. “Probably the most common thing we treat is diabetes and high blood pressure. We see lots of people over age 50 who have these ‘adult’ illnesses.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, half a million deaths were linked to heart disease as a primary cause. McKinley points out that lifestyle factors, including diet and lack of exercise, have made these diseases more prevalent.
“Convenient foods that are high in fat and processed sugar contribute excess calories without counterbalance on what you burn off,” he said. “As we become more industrialized and people don’t have to work so hard to get their food, the amount we burn off definitely goes down.”
Many of the diseases causing heart damage are undetectable until they become more serious. McKinley said hypertension was long referred to as the “silent killer” because there are typically no symptoms until the disease has significantly progressed. High cholesterol, which can scar blood vessels and put stress on the cardiovascular system, is basically only detected via bloodwork.
Although the early warning signs of diabetes are excess thirst and frequent urination, those can be overlooked by patients for some time.
That’s why McKinley recommends routine screening at certain “milestones” in a patient’s life. Cholesterol and hypertension screenings should take place once a patient is over 30, and tests for diabetes should be routine by age 50 – earlier if there is a family history.
“If somebody has chest pain, they’re going to get an EKG,” McKinley said. “They’re also going to get more extensive labs to look at liver function, kidney functions, electrolytes, plus blood sugar and cholesterol counts.”
If these are abnormally high, doctors likely would send a person for in-patient evaluation. Treatment typically includes medications to control cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes as well as recommended exercise and dietary changes.
Patients treated with these remedies can expect to see improvement, in many cases, McKinley said, especially if they strictly follow doctor’s orders.
“I always tell a patient when they come to see me in the office, we are not treating in order to meet a number,” he said. “We’re treating for 10, 20, 30 years of accumulated health.”
If you or a friend or relative need to schedule routine screenings with a PCP, please call Dr. McKinley at 740-397-8500 to arrange an appointment.
