Your heart, your choice.
If you are 75 or older, this page is for you — whether or not you have a family doctor.
Two conditions worth checking for
Valvular heart disease
Your heart has four valves that keep blood moving in the right direction. With age, a valve can stiffen or leak. The most common form, aortic stenosis, affects 3 to 5 people in 100 over age 75 and often causes no symptoms until it is advanced. A care provider can hear a murmur with a stethoscope; a painless heart ultrasound (echocardiogram) confirms it. Found early, it can be monitored so that treatment can be offered at the appropriate time if the disease progresses.
Warning signs
Shortness of breath with activity, new or worsening difficulty with exertion, chest pressure or tightness, dizziness or fainting, unusual tiredness. If you notice these, see a care provider promptly. If you already know you have severe aortic stenosis, another valve problem or a recent heart event, follow your specialist’s advice rather than using this page to decide about testing.
Unhealthy cholesterol (dyslipidemia)
Unhealthy cholesterol has no symptoms. A blood test is the only way to know. Two markers many people have never had measured are apoB and lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a). Lp(a) is inherited, stays high for life, affects about one in five people, and only needs to be measured once in a lifetime. Most guidelines consider an Lp(a) of 125 nmol/L (50 mg/dL) or higher to be a risk-enhancing level that calls for more intensive prevention. Because Lp(a) runs in families, if yours is high, your parents, brothers and sisters, and children should have theirs measured too.
What a heart check involves
- A blood test: a full cholesterol profile plus Lp(a) — measured once in a lifetime — and a diabetes check (HbA1c). Your care provider may add apoB, a more precise measure of cholesterol risk, when it would change what they recommend — for example if you have diabetes, high triglycerides or known heart disease, or if your LDL cholesterol looks controlled but your risk may still be high.
- Listening to your heart with a stethoscope.
- If a murmur is heard, a heart ultrasound (echocardiogram). It is painless, and it is the test that confirms whether a valve is affected.
- Medically necessary blood tests and heart ultrasounds are publicly insured by OHIP (Ontario) or RAMQ (Quebec) when provincial eligibility requirements are met. Some private clinics may charge fees for uninsured services.
Where can I go?
- Your own family doctor or nurse practitioner — bring our pamphlet and ask for the check.
- A walk-in clinic.
- In Quebec, if you do not have a family doctor or primary-care nurse practitioner: the Guichet d’accès à la première ligne (GAP).
- A private clinic.
- A partner hospital program, such as the Healthy Heart Clinic at Hawkesbury General Hospital, where a nurse practitioner does the assessment with cardiology review.
Your pharmacist can help you choose and, with your consent, can send a referral to the place you pick.
The Love Your Heart Project does not book appointments and does not keep medical records. Your results go to the care provider who did your check.
Common questions
Is there a cost?
Usually not. The visit, the blood test and the heart ultrasound are covered by your provincial health insurance when they are medically necessary and you meet eligibility requirements. If you choose a private clinic, ask about fees before your visit.
Will it hurt?
A blood test and listening to your heart — that’s it. A heart ultrasound is painless.
Can I bring someone?
Yes. Bring a family member or friend if you would like support.
What if something is found?
Your care provider will explain the results in plain language and arrange any follow-up you need.
