Does everyone need a heart test? If you do not have symptoms and live a healthy lifestyle, may not require cardiac testing. There are at least 5 cardiac tests which may not be necessary if there are no symptoms.

Your doctor may recommend screening tests to ensure heart health in top shape. But if a person has no symptoms, may not require a variety of cardiac tests considering the costs and benefits. Heart disease symptoms can be chest pain or shortness of breath.

The fact is, there is no evidence to support that one of the common tests can be useful if a person is free of cardiac symptoms.

“If you do a test like a stress test on someone who does not have symptoms, it is more likely to get a false positive test rather than a true positive,” said Dr. Malissa Wood, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.

False positive test results may lead to more unnecessary tests, so it often carries a significant risk. Should the tests conducted are based on the symptoms that have been experienced by the patient.

Here are five heart tests that may not be necessary if there are no symptoms of HealthNews quoted as saying on Monday (2/13/2012), among others:

A. ECG
Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a reading of the heart’s electrical activity recorded by electrodes placed on the chest. ECG abnormalities can be to find out that is possible to detect heart abnormalities.

ECG is used to study irregular heart rhythms, heart attacks and other problems. ECG is also used before some types of surgery, but no studies have examined whether ECG help prevent disease in people without symptoms.

ECG usually does not require an expensive cost. EKG test procedure is not invasive, so the test is safe. After examination of the ECG of a patient may end up with another test that carry more risk, such as CT scan or coronary angiogram, in which a catheter is threaded into the heart.

2. Carotid ultrasound
Carotid ultrasound allows doctors to see blood vessels in the neck that supply blood to the brain, called the carotid, is blocked by cholesterol deposits or plaques. Due to cholesterol deposits are considered as risk factors for stroke.

This test is used to examine blood flow to the brain. There is no evidence that screening carotid plaques, which are becoming increasingly popular, it can save lives. Routine scans can produce false positive results than true positive, and can cause invasive imaging or carotid surgery or stenting.

Between 1-3 percent of patients who have died from the procedure of carotid surgery.

3. Echocardiogram
The echocardiogram is an ultrasound image of the moving heart. The examination procedure allows doctors to test how well the heart pumps blood out and whether the heart has a structural problem. This test can help doctors diagnose conditions such as heart failure and atrial fibrillation, but has not been proven to help people without symptoms.

The results of the new study found that, in screening for heart disease by echocardiogram and other tests did not change to prescription drugs, diet, exercise habits, and smoking habits. Ultrasound scans are generally safe, but it can trigger a false alarm and may lead to consideration of more invasive tests done and then treatment.

4. Stress test
Stress tests used to see signs of trouble pumping blood from the heart. The doctor will give the load on the heart patients by instructing the patient on a treadmill or stationary when performing an EKG. In a nuclear stress test, radioactive dye is injected into the blood stream to create a better picture.

Stress test can help diagnose heart problems but have not proven to be a screening tool that can help. Stress tests may carry risks for most people with heart problems, including for people with heart attacks are very rare.

Some stress tests can produce false results, which means more procedures to be performed with the possibility of unnecessary complications.

5. Cardiac CT Scan
Computed tomography (CT) scan uses high doses of X-rays to obtain a detailed picture of the heart. In a coronary calcium scan, doctors look for calcium deposits in heart arteries, which has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Patients also may have a dye is injected to smooth the blockage.

CT scan can help women with moderate risk for heart disease. So that women with such risk would benefit from aggressive treatment. But for people without symptoms, CT scan is still not proven to be more useful than the medical advice based on risk factors such as diabetes and obesity.

On the radiation from the CT scan procedure that uses a dye resulting in 10 possible kidney damage and some may also have thyroid problems. False alarms can lead to invasive tests, which carry more risk.

Healthy lifestyle remains the best way to prevent disease

Experts say the best way to prevent heart disease has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with a healthy lifestyle. American Heart Association also recommends that blood pressure and cholesterol levels should always be within the normal range.

“The test can not prevent heart disease. To prevent heart disease, women and men should eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, get regular physical activity, and not smoking,” said Dr. Rita Redberg, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco.