At your next doctor visit in Scottsdale, you might have a heart problem. That’s because cardiovascular diseases, which include heart disease and stroke, are the leading cause of death in the United States.

If you have a heart problem, you may need to see a cardiologist as part of your treatment team. A cardiologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating heart problems. The good news is that there are many ways to prevent or treat heart disease and stroke, including lifestyle changes and medications.

What Is Cardiology?

Cardiology is a branch of medicine that studies the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels (called vasculature). It’s also called cardiovascular medicine or cardiovascular health sciences. Cardiologists treat conditions of the heart, blood vessels, lungs and other organs related to these systems — for example, arrhythmias (abnormal pulse) or angina pectoris (chest pain). They also diagnose conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure), aneurysms (swelling) of arteries or valve disorders.

If you’re looking for a Scottsdale cardiologist, here’s how to find one that you like:

Look for a doctor with experience. It’s important to find a doctor who has years of experience working with patients with similar conditions as yours. If you have high blood pressure, look for someone who has treated other people with that condition successfully before.

Find out if they’re board certified. A board-certified cardiologist is one who has gone through rigorous training and passed exams administered by an organization that recognizes the best doctors in their field. This doesn’t mean that all board-certified cardiologists are good; however, it does mean that they have been rigorously trained and tested by experts in the field of cardiology.

Ask about their credentials and background. Ask your potential doctor about his education and training as well as his professional affiliations or groups he belongs to such as the American Heart Association (AHA).