ApoB is a cholesterol measurement gaining attention as a marker of heart risk. This article explains what it measures, how it relates to LDL cholesterol, and why triglycerides and lipoprotein(a) each remain part of a fuller, multifactorial picture.
Troponin is the blood test at the heart of chest pain assessment. If you have been to emergency with chest pain, here is what it measures and what the result means.
Most tiredness is not your heart. But cardiac fatigue is real: heavy, persistent, and not relieved by rest. Here is how to tell the difference, and when tiredness is worth a conversation with your doctor.
You have a muscle bridge. For most people that sentence means nothing needs doing. For a minority it explains real chest pain, and new research shows how the troublesome ones can be treated.
Hearing you need a triple bypass is alarming — but the number describes how many arteries were rerouted, not how dangerous the operation is. Understanding what it means can make one of the most daunting conversations in cardiac surgery far less frightening.
The aortic valve opens and closes 100,000 times a day. When it begins to narrow, the heart pays the price. Here is how aortic stenosis develops, how it is diagnosed, and how modern treatment, from open surgery to TAVR, restores flow.
BNP and NT-proBNP are blood markers released when the heart is under strain — the primary tests used to diagnose and monitor heart failure. An elevated result is the beginning of an investigation, not a verdict.
The hs-CRP test measures inflammation in the blood — but it is not a diagnostic test for heart disease. Here is what it can and cannot tell us about cardiovascular risk.



A simple, non-invasive CT scan that detects calcified plaque in the arteries years before symptoms appear. If you or someone you know has been referred for a calcium score, this guide explains exactly what it measures, what your result means, and what to do next.
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By Professor Peter Barlis, Interventional Cardiologist and Founding Editor, Heart Matters. Published by Wiley.
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