Anne, 55, played in two Rugby World Cups (1994 and 1998) and was a prop for Ireland from 1993 to 1999, winning 26 caps. She also played Rugby for Imperial College (1984-1987) and then Wasps (1987-2000).
Despite her sporting success, she wanted to be sure that her heart was still in good health and booked in for a CT calcium score test. This non-invasive, painless test takes around 15 minutes and allows Venturi’s cardiologists to see the arteries around the heart.
Consultant preventative cardiologist Dr Scott Murray, one of the founders of Venturi Cardiology, said:
“The CT calcium score test takes just minutes to do and is a really good way to look for any signs of plaque in the arteries which may lead to blockages.
“The results are available immediately after the test and the best score is zero. If people come out with a higher than expected score there are lots of things that can be done to reduce their risk of heart disease.
“So much of our heart health is driven by what we eat, how we move and through lifestyle choices, all factors that are within our control.”
Anne, who has lived in London for 35 years but is looking to move back to the north west, got a result of zero and was able to walk out of the clinic with the peace of mind that her heart is in great shape.
She said:
“I juggled playing professional rugby with a full-time career in airline IT. I trained four to five evenings a week then played rugby at the weekends.
“In those days you could combine a career with playing sport at the highest level, which you can’t do today.
“It was a great period and I love the camaraderie, team spirit and the friends I made for life.
“I played at a time when rugby was moving from amateur to professional status and our health and fitness was monitored, but nowhere near the level of elite sport today. We had fitness, strength and speed tests but no health checks. You’d get some dietary advice but it wasn’t prescriptive or managed in any way.“As a former sports person, it’s easy to think that you remain fit and healthy however, as you get older, I think it is important to validate this and seek an expert opinion on your health.
“My health is good but it was great to get my heart tested at Venturi. It was the first time I’ve done something like this and the Calcium Score Test was very quick, efficient and well explained.
“It provides an excellent means of either validating that you remain fit and healthy or can highlight issues easily so that they can be addressed.”
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