Heart Disease
By: Cynthia Ripsin, MD. Memorial Hermann Medical
Group League City
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, and during February, American Heart Month, we focus on ways to decrease the chance of early death from the number one killer of Americans.
The most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease. Coronary arteries supply the heart with the oxygen it needs to pump blood to and from the lungs and out to the rest of the body. A heart attack or acute coronary syndrome occurs when a coronary artery suddenly becomes blocked, usually when a fatty plaque inside the artery ruptures, cutting off blood flow to a portion of the heart. For fifty percent of men and almost two-thirds of women, however, the first heart attack is fatal without causing previous warning symptoms so it is essential to improve your risk factors to prevent that first, possibly fatal, heart attack.
• Cigarette smoking causes heart disease even more often than lung cancer or emphysema. As difficult as it can be to quit smoking, it is absolutely necessary to decrease your risk of early death. Your doctor can help you develop a strategy to stop smoking.
• High blood pressure( hypertension) directly damages the heart and the walls of arteries. Many people mistakenly think they will have symptoms like headache, fatigue or dizziness when their blood pressure is high, but hypertension is called the“ silent killer” because often there are no symptoms at all before a fatal heart attack or stroke occurs. Reducing foods high in sodium and saturated fat and consuming foods high in potassium can help naturally lower blood pressure. Work closely with your doctor to keep your blood pressure within a safe range using diet, exercise and medications.
• High LDL cholesterol, often called the“ bad” cholesterol, leads to blockages in the arteries. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol, the“ good” cholesterol, affords a small degree of protection for the heart. Aerobic activity, lower fat foods and medications called statins can decrease LDL cholesterol.
• People with type 2 diabetes have twice the risk of heart disease compared to people without diabetes and they develop it at a younger age. Keeping diabetes well controlled can decrease the progression of heart disease.
• A simple blood test can determine if you have prediabetes. The likelihood of developing diabetes from prediabetes is very high but is decreased by losing weight, increasing aerobic activity and decreasing carbohydrate consumption.
• Decreasing portion sizes, limiting carbohydrates and high fat foods and ideally 45 minutes five times weekly of aerobic activity can improve or prevent obesity, a risk factor for early heart disease.
Talk with your doctor to determine if a daily, low dose aspirin will be beneficial for reducing your risk of death from heart disease.
You and your doctor can use a cardiovascular disease risk calculator to get an estimate of the likelihood you will have a cardiac event within the next ten years. This can help you focus on aspects of your health that will yield the highest long-term benefit for you.
Take time during American Heart Month to carefully evaluate your risk factors for heart disease, and then commit to making the changes that will improve your chances for living a longer, healthier life.
MOMENTUM / February 2017 31