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Preventive Cardiology in Pearland & Houston

Risk assessment and prevention for patients who want to address heart disease before it starts — cholesterol, blood pressure, and family history.

Preventive Cardiology

Understanding Preventive Cardiology

Preventive cardiology is for people who do not yet have heart disease, and for those whose risk factors could lead to it. The aim is to measure risk accurately and reduce it before a heart attack or stroke ever happens.

Most cardiovascular events occur in people who felt entirely well beforehand. Prevention replaces guesswork with a measured picture of your actual risk, and treatment proportionate to it.

If you have a family history of early heart disease, cholesterol or blood pressure that has never been treated to target, or simply want to know where you stand, a preventive assessment gives you a number rather than an impression.

Meet Our Cardiology Team

Experienced. Compassionate. Focused on You.

Prevention works through continuity rather than a single appointment. Our cardiologists assess each patient individually, set targets you can see, and follow your numbers over the years it takes for prevention to pay off.

Portrait of Dr. Rizwan Khan, general cardiologist

Rizwan Khan, MD, FACC

General & Preventive Cardiology

MD — Doctor of Medicine
FACC — Fellow of the American College of Cardiology
Fellowships: Cleveland Clinic and Loyola University Medical Center
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Portrait of Dr. Muhammad Waheed Raja, general cardiologist

Muhammad Waheed Raja, MD

Preventive & Non-Invasive Cardiology

MD — Doctor of Medicine
Cardiology fellowship: Tulane University School of Medicine
Former Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, UTMB
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Portrait of Dr. Afaq Motiwala, interventional cardiologist

Afaq Motiwala, MD, FACC, RPVI

Interventional & Vascular Cardiology

FACC — Fellow of the American College of Cardiology
RPVI — Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation
Interventional fellowship: Temple University Hospital
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Why Us

Why Patients Choose Alliance Heart & Vascular

Personalized Heart Care

Treatment plans tailored to your symptoms, history, and individual needs.

Comprehensive Cardiology

Preventive, diagnostic, interventional, and vascular care in one practice.

Advanced Cardiac Testing

Modern diagnostics for heart rhythm, function, structure, and blood flow.

Convenient Greater Houston Access

Serving Pearland with additional locations expanding across Greater Houston.

Board-Certified Cardiologists

Experienced physicians with advanced cardiovascular training and expertise.

Most Major Insurances Accepted

We work with many leading insurance plans for convenient access to care.

Heart Health Resources

Related Reading

Locations

Comprehensive Cardiovascular Care Close to Home

Alliance Heart & Vascular is expanding to serve patients across Pearland, Greater Houston and surrounding communities.

Pearland

Comprehensive cardiology, preventive cardiovascular care, diagnostic evaluation, and follow-up.

View Pearland Location

More locations coming soon

Alliance Heart & Vascular is expanding across Greater Houston and nearby communities, bringing convenient access to trusted cardiovascular care closer to where our patients live and work.

Insurance

Insurance We Accept

Alliance Heart & Vascular works with many major health insurance plans. Insurance participation can vary by plan, network, employer, and location.

Please call (346) 614-0002 before your appointment to verify your specific insurance benefits and network participation. Our team can help answer questions about scheduling, referrals, and insurance verification.

Before your visit

Call ahead to verify benefits and network participation
Ask whether your plan requires a referral
Bring your insurance card and photo ID
Bring prior cardiac test results if you have them
Who We Assess

Who Should Have a Preventive Assessment?

Prevention is most valuable before symptoms appear, which is exactly when people are least likely to seek it. An assessment is worth arranging if you have:

A parent or sibling with early heart attack or stroke
A family history of very high cholesterol
High cholesterol never treated to target
High blood pressure or variable readings
Diabetes or prediabetes
A current or previous smoking history
Excess weight or low physical activity
An abnormal coronary calcium score
An incidental finding on chest imaging
A history of preeclampsia or gestational diabetes
An inflammatory or autoimmune condition
Chronic kidney disease
Obstructive sleep apnea
Uncertainty about whether you need a statin
A wish to reduce risk without medication if possible
No symptoms, but real concern about your risk

Having no symptoms is not evidence of a healthy heart. It simply means disease has not yet advanced far enough to be felt, which is the best moment to intervene.

Related Heart Conditions

Preventive cardiology addresses the risk factors behind several cardiovascular conditions. Learn more about:

Emergency Reminder

Prevention is not for acute symptoms. If you have chest pain, sudden breathlessness, or fainting, call 911 immediately rather than booking an appointment.

Do not wait for an office appointment.

Online appointment requests should never be used for potentially life-threatening symptoms.

Your Numbers

What We Measure

Risk is calculated from measured values rather than impressions. A preventive assessment looks at these together rather than one at a time:

Measurements we take

Full lipid panel including LDL
Non-HDL cholesterol
Triglycerides
Lipoprotein(a), once in a lifetime
Blood pressure, including home readings
Blood sugar and HbA1c
Kidney function
Thyroid function
Body weight and waist measurement

Factors we assess

Family history
Smoking history
Physical activity level
Dietary pattern
Sleep and stress
Existing medical conditions

These values are combined into a formal cardiovascular risk estimate. That number, rather than any single result, determines how aggressively anything needs treating.

What We Address

The Risk Factors We Treat

Almost all cardiovascular risk comes from a small number of factors, and most of them respond well to treatment. Prevention means addressing them before they cause damage.

Call 911 immediately if a heart attack is suspected. Do not drive yourself to hospital.

Cholesterol

Setting an LDL target appropriate to your overall risk and reaching it, whether through diet, medication, or both. Read more about high cholesterol.

Blood Pressure

Accurate diagnosis using home readings, an individualized target, and long-term control. Read more about high blood pressure.

Blood Sugar

Identifying prediabetes and diabetes early, since both substantially accelerate cardiovascular disease and change your treatment targets.

Smoking

Stopping smoking produces the single largest reduction in cardiovascular risk of any intervention, and benefit begins within months.

Weight and Activity

Weight and fitness influence cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar simultaneously, so improvement here works on several fronts at once.

Family History

Inherited risk cannot be changed, which makes controlling everything else more important. It may also prompt screening for familial cholesterol disorders.

Your Visit

What a Preventive Assessment Involves

A preventive consultation is longer than a symptom-driven one, because it covers your whole risk profile rather than a single complaint. Typically it includes:

A detailed personal and family history
Review of all previous test results
Blood pressure assessment
Blood tests, usually non-fasting
A formal cardiovascular risk calculation
Discussion of what the number actually means
A written plan with specific targets

Worth knowing

Prevention is a long relationship rather than a single appointment. Targets are reviewed, treatment is adjusted, and progress is measured over years — which is why continuity with one cardiologist matters here more than anywhere.

Visit Us
10905 Memorial Hermann Drive, Suite 203, Pearland, TX 77584
Downtown Houston — serving the Texas Medical Center, Midtown, and Downtown
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(346) 614-0002
What We Prevent

What Prevention Is Aimed At

Every preventive measure targets a specific outcome. These are the conditions that risk factor treatment is designed to stop from happening.

Diagnostics

Testing Used in Preventive Cardiology

Not every patient needs every cardiac test. Testing should be selected based on your symptoms, examination, medical history, and cardiovascular risk. Depending on your individual situation, your cardiologist may recommend one or more of the following.

Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging

Certain patients may require additional cardiac imaging or coronary evaluation depending on their symptoms and risk profile. Your cardiologist will explain why a particular test is being recommended and how the results may influence your treatment plan.

Treatment

How We Reduce Your Risk

Treatment intensity is matched to your calculated risk. Two people with identical cholesterol may need very different plans. Your plan may include:

A formal cardiovascular risk score
An individualized LDL target
An individualized blood pressure target
Dietary fat and fiber guidance
Sodium reduction
Structured aerobic activity
Weight management
Alcohol reduction
Smoking cessation support
Statin therapy where indicated
Additional lipid-lowering therapy if needed
Family screening for inherited disorders
Scheduled review and re-measurement

Our objective is not a tidier blood test. It is fewer heart attacks and strokes across your lifetime, achieved with a plan you can realistically keep to.

Specialist cardiovascular care built around you
Getting Started

Told You Are at Risk but Not What to Do?

A great many patients are told a number is borderline, or that they should watch it, without ever being given a target or a plan. Prevention only works when it is specific: a measured risk, a stated target, and a scheduled review.

A preventive appointment is worthwhile if you have:

Been told your cholesterol is borderline
Been told to watch your blood pressure
Been offered a statin without explanation
Declined treatment and want to reconsider
A strong family history that worries you
An abnormal calcium score or scan finding
No idea what your actual risk is
Bring any previous cholesterol and blood pressure results, however old. Prevention decisions are much easier when we can see how your numbers have moved over time.
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About Preventive Cardiology

Still have questions?

Talk to our office — Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Call (346) 614-0002

Preventive cardiology focuses on identifying and reducing cardiovascular risk before heart disease develops or progresses. It is for people without symptoms as much as for those already diagnosed.

Prevention is not for acute symptoms. Call 911 for chest pain, sudden breathlessness, or fainting rather than waiting for a preventive appointment.

Risk is calculated from your age, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, smoking history, and family history combined into a formal estimate, rather than judged from any single value.

Not necessarily. For lower-risk patients, diet, exercise, and weight loss may be sufficient. Statins are strongly indicated for high-risk patients and after a cardiovascular event, and it is a shared decision in between.

Yes, often substantially. Diet, activity, weight loss, and stopping smoking all lower risk measurably, and for many patients they are the first line of treatment rather than an afterthought.

A coronary calcium score is a quick CT scan measuring calcified plaque in the coronary arteries. It is most useful when risk is uncertain and the decision about starting medication could go either way.

Lipoprotein(a) is an inherited cholesterol particle that raises risk independently of LDL. It only needs measuring once, and an elevated result usually means treating your other risk factors more aggressively.

Usually not. Non-fasting lipid panels are acceptable for most purposes, though fasting may be requested if triglycerides are very high.

Yes. Familial hypercholesterolemia causes very high LDL from birth and premature heart disease. If it is identified, close relatives should be screened as well.

Typically after a few months when treatment starts or changes, then annually once your numbers are stable and at target.

A history of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, or early menopause all raise later cardiovascular risk, and are frequently overlooked. They are worth raising at a preventive assessment.

Yes. Untreated obstructive sleep apnea raises blood pressure and makes atrial fibrillation more likely, so screening is often part of a full risk assessment.

You will leave with your calculated risk, specific numerical targets, a written plan, and a scheduled point at which it will be reviewed.

Bring your medication list, insurance information, identification, and any previous cholesterol, blood pressure, or cardiac test results you have.

Yes. Alliance Heart & Vascular welcomes new patients seeking cardiovascular evaluation. Call our office or request an appointment online.

Want to Know Your Actual Risk?

The best time to treat heart disease is before it happens.

Whether you have a family history that concerns you, cholesterol or blood pressure that has never been properly addressed, or you simply want your cardiovascular risk measured rather than guessed at, our cardiologists can give you a number and a plan.

Request an Appointment

New patients are welcome.

Serving patients throughout Pearland, Greater Houston, and surrounding areas.