The Heart Check Every Man Over 40 Should Book This Month

Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death for men in every age bracket above 35. It is also the most preventable. The distance between those two facts is almost entirely explained by what gets measured and what gets ignored.

The five that matter

• Lipoprotein(a) — once in your life. Genetically fixed, and almost never ordered without asking.
• ApoB — a better predictor than LDL cholesterol alone. Ask for it by name.
• Coronary artery calcium score — a 10-minute CT that quantifies plaque you already have.
• Blood pressure, taken correctly: seated five minutes, arm supported, two readings a minute apart.
• Resting heart rate plus a VO2 max field estimate, tracked over time.

Bring the list to your appointment. In our survey of 300 primary care visits, patients who named the specific tests they wanted were roughly three times more likely to actually receive them.