Prevention of heart disease is classified into three levels:
1️⃣ Primary Prevention – Prevents the disease before it occurs.
2️⃣ Secondary Prevention – Detects and treats the disease early to prevent progression or complications.
3️⃣ Tertiary Prevention – Manages an existing disease to reduce its impact and prevent further complications.
What is Secondary Prevention?
Secondary prevention focuses on early detection and intervention in patients who are at risk of or already have early-stage heart disease but are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic.
✔️ Regular medical checkups are a key strategy in secondary prevention because they allow for:
- Early diagnosis of hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, which are major risk factors for heart disease.
- Screening for asymptomatic heart disease (e.g., silent ischemia, early atherosclerosis).
- Monitoring and controlling risk factors to prevent heart disease progression.
Thus, regular medical checkups fall under secondary prevention because they help detect and intervene early in disease progression.
Analysis of Each Option:
✅ Correct Option:
🔹 “Regular medical checkups”
✔️ True – Regular health assessments help detect early cardiovascular disease, manage risk factors, and prevent disease progression.
🚫 Incorrect Options:
🔹 “Screening of high-risk people”
❌ Screening is considered primary prevention because it identifies risk factors before the disease manifests.
❌ Example: Checking cholesterol levels in healthy individuals to prevent heart disease.
🔹 “Lifestyle modification”
❌ Lifestyle changes (e.g., diet, smoking cessation, exercise) are part of primary prevention, aiming to reduce the risk of developing heart disease in the first place.
❌ However, some lifestyle modifications can also be tertiary prevention in those with established disease.
🔹 “Community-based approach”
❌ Community health programs focus on primary prevention, aiming to educate the population, promote healthy behaviors, and prevent disease at a population level.
🔹 “Exercise”
❌ Exercise is a primary prevention measure, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease before it develops.
❌ It also plays a role in tertiary prevention, improving cardiovascular health in patients with existing disease.