• Blood pressure. Reading taken at each healthcare visit, or at least once every two years if it is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
  
  
• Cholesterol. Blood testing (lipid profile) performed every five years for normal-risk people, more often for higher-risk people, including men older than 45 and women older than 50.
  
  
• Glucose. Blood sugar test performed every three years starting at age 45.
  
  
• Waist circumference. Measured as needed to help evaluate cardiovascular risk.
  
  
• Weight. Noted at each healthcare visit.

Physicians may offer a different schedule of screening tests tailored to a patient's needs. For example, people with risk factors such as obesity or family history of diabetes may receive glucose tests more often and starting at a younger age.

Depending on the case, a cardiovascular exam may also include other tests, such as an electrocardiogram (EKG), an echocardiogram, a coagulation blood test or a stress test.

If a patient's cardiovascular risk factors increase, physicians may prescribe interventions such as weight loss, exercise and medication. They may request more frequent cardiovascular exams to make sure therapy is working.

For children, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that high-risk patients, such as those with a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol, begin cholesterol screening tests as early as age 2 and start no later than age 10.