By MultiCare Health Systems
For the Reporter
February is National Heart Month, the time to remind everyone that heart disease – still the leading cause of death in American women and men – is preventable.
Uncontrolled blood pressure is the primary cause of the strokes and heart attacks that take the lives of so many.
In fact, an American dies from stroke, heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases every 40 seconds.
It’s different for women
Heart disease is the no. 1 killer of women, taking more lives than all cancers combined, according to the American Heart Association.
Despite this alarming statistic, many women don’t know they’re at risk, said Dr. Uma Krishnan, director of MultiCare Health System’s Women’s Heart Center.
“Also, women usually seek medical attention rather late,” Krishnan said.
“Pay attention to symptoms, which are somewhat different for women than for men: chest pain or tightness, shortness of breath, jaw pain, pain between the shoulder blades or being more tired than usual.”
A risk factor that sets women apart from men is complications during a past pregnancy, caused by diabetes or high blood pressure, for example.
Research also shows that the outcome of a heart attack is worse in women than men.
Krishnan urges women at high risk and those who haven’t had blood work done in a long time to visit their doctor for a heart check.
“Don’t wait for symptoms – high blood sugar, cholesterol or blood pressure can lead to heart disease before they cause any symptoms,” she said. “It’s important to know your numbers.”
7 steps you can take now
A healthy heart means a healthy life. Seven of the most impactful things you can start doing today to help your heart are:
1. Visit your doctor for a heart check, which will include blood tests to identify risk factors that often have no early symptoms.
2. If you smoke, stop. Get help to develop a stop-smoking plan that works for you.
3. If you are overweight for your height, try following a heart-healthy eating plan. Eating well will reduce your body weight, cholesterol and other blood fats.
4. Find out your body mass index (BMI), which measures body fat based on height and weight. There are many BMI calendars online.
5. Get a move on! Just 30 minutes of daily, moderate activity protects your heart and your health. Try walking briskly, raking leaves, cleaning house, dancing or lifting light weights.
6. If you’ve got high blood pressure, work with your doctor to find ways to lower it.
7. If you have diabetes, it is vital to control your blood sugar (glucose) level. Aiming for 100 mg/dL or lower is recommended. Diabetes increases a woman’s risk of heart attack even more than it does for men, including silent heart attacks that occur without symptoms.
The American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have started a national campaign to prevent one million strokes and heart attacks by 2017.
