Heart Education Awareness Resource and Training through eLearning (HEARTe)

Isla’s Results

Isla’s results from her assessment have come back. She sees her healthcare provider again to review the information together.  They review her results from her blood tests, blood pressure measurement, body mass index measurement, and the questions about her lifestyle, medical history, and family history.  

Using the information from the results detailed below, Isla’s healthcare provider calculates her ASSIGN score.  Isla’s ASSIGN score is less than 20 and is not currently considered as high risk for developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years. 

When you find a term that you don’t know, please use the HEARTe Glossary for more information and explanation.

The results from the questions Isla was asked are:  

Isla’s Lifestyle:  

  • Non-smoker 
  • Teetotal (Isla does not drink alcohol) 
  • Mother to 2 children under 5 years old  
  • Unhealthy diet 
    • Due to her busy schedule caring for her mother and looking after her children, Isla has indicated that she mainly eats takeaways and readymade meals like frozen pizza 
  • Does not exercise regularly  

Family History:  

  • Father died of a heart attack at age 60 
  • Mother had a stroke at age 52 
  • She is an only child so she does not have any siblings with a history of cardiovascular disease 

Medical history:  

  • Prediabetes  
    • She does not take any medications for this condition  
  • Overweight (calculated from her body mass index) 
  • Experiences migraines with aura on average once every 2 months  
    • She manages this well by taking over the counter medications such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.  
  • No previous surgeries  
  • Not currently taking any prescription medications  
  • No other medical conditions to note  

Cholesterol levels  

  • These were checked through Lipid Profile (also known as a complete cholesterol test or a lipid panel) 
  • Isla is considered to have normal cholesterol because her total cholesterol level was 4 mmol/L, her HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) was 1.3 mmol/L, and her LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) was 3 mmol/L 
    • Why? NHS guidelines consider total cholesterol to be healthy if it is below 5 mmol/L, HDL cholesterol to be healthy if it above 1.2 mmol/L for women, and LDL cholesterol to be healthy if it is below 4 mmol/L.

Blood sugar levels  

  • This was checked through a blood test called HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin) test that measures the average blood sugar (glucose) levels over the past 2 to 3 months.  
  • Isla is considered prediabetic because she her HbA1c level was 44 mmol/mol  
    • Why? NHS guidelines are that prediabetes is categorised as an HbA1c level between 42 – 47 mmol/mol  

Blood pressure  

  • This was measured using a device called a blood pressure monitor and it helps to identify if someone has high blood pressure (hypertension). 
  • Isla’s blood pressure is considered normal as the reading was 120/70 mmHg
    • Why? NHS guidelines consider normal blood pressure for someone under 80 years old to be between 90/60 mmHg and 120/80 mmHg  

Body mass index (BMI)  

  • This was calculated through measurements of Isla’s height (165.1 centimetres) and weight (74 kilograms)
  • She is considered to have an overweight body mass index (BMI) as it was calculated as 27.1 
    • Why? NHS guidelines are that people with South Asian background are considered overweight if their body mass index is between 23-27.4