Ngā arotakenga manawa me ngā arotakenga mate huka Heart and diabetes checks
Diabetes and heart disease risks
The relationship between diabetes and heart disease (also known as cardiovascular disease or CVD) has been recognised for a long time.
Almost 1 in 3 deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand each year are caused by cardiovascular disease. Many of these deaths could be avoided with heart and diabetes checks.
What a heart and diabetes check is
A heart and diabetes check works out your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 5 years. It also tells you if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes — when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.
The check will let you know what your risk is and give you the chance to talk to your healthcare provider about ways to improve your health and lead a healthier life.
Your healthcare provider will:
- ask about your risk factors such as smoking, exercise and diet
- ask if there is any family or whānau history of heart attack, stroke or diabetes
- measure your blood pressure, height, weight and waist
- do blood tests to check your cholesterol and blood glucose levels for diabetes.
After considering all the risk factors, your healthcare provider will calculate your risk of having a heart attack or stroke over the next 5 years.
When to have a heart and diabetes check
You should get a heart and diabetes check if you are in one of these groups:
- Māori, Pacific and South-Asian people — men over 30 and women over 40
- people with known risk factors such as family history of heart problems, or with high risk of developing diabetes — men over 35 and women over 45
- people with severe mental illness over 25
- people with diabetes — get checked yearly after your diagnosis.
People without known risk factors should get checked — men from 45 and women from 55 years old.
More information about heart and diabetes checks and heart disease is available on the Heart Foundation website.
Heart Foundation (external link)
Find out more about diabetes and strokes.
Online heart check
My Heart Check estimates your heart age and shares tips to help improve your heart health. Use My Heart Check to calculate your heart health score and your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.