Rock for your Health-Happy Heart Month
by Brandy Cordova
February is all about the heart! And I’m not referring to Valentine’s Day! February is actually National Heart Month. According to recent statistics from the American Heart Association (AHA), “approximately every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and approximately every minute, someone will die of one.” Awareness is a key to prevention.
Heart disease is a broad term used to describe a range of diseases that affect your heart. The term “heart disease” is often used interchangeably with “cardiovascular disease.” Heart disease is any disorder that affects the heart’s ability to function normally. Various forms of heart disease include: stroke, heart attack, heart failure, high blood pressure, angina (chest pain), cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, congenital heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, mitral stenosis, endocarditis, as well as other forms.
The most common cause of heart disease is a narrowing of, or blockage in, the coronary arteries; the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart itself (cardiovascular disease). This is caused by atherosclerosis, a buildup of fatty plaques in your arteries, often caused by an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, being overweight and smoking.
Other causes of heart disease include abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmias), abnormal heart valve function, high blood pressure, heart infection and cardiomyopathy (weakening of the heart’s pumping ability). Some heart diseases are present at birth, such as congenital heart disease. Many of these diseases cannot be prevented; they are either inherited or due to some physical mishap.
Each year the AHA, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and various other government agencies, compile the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, other vascular diseases, along with their risk factors, and publish the findings in its Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update. The 2012 statistical update is a major source for monitoring both cardiovascular health and disease in the U.S. population. As well as monitoring cardiovascular health and disease, the statistical update has a focus on progressing toward the achievement of the AHA’s 2020 Impact Goals.
Included in these goals is the concept of “cardiovascular health,” which encompasses 7 health behaviors and health factors: current smoking, body mass index, physical activity, healthy diet score, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting plasma glucose. The AHA has also set a goal for America’s cardiovascular health, “to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20%, while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20%.”
Many forms of heart disease can be prevented or treated with healthy lifestyle choices such as controlling blood pressure through a healthy diet, lowering cholesterol, quitting smoking, and getting an adequate amount of exercise. By assessing and addressing your heart health, as well as your overall health, you can prevent many forms of heart disease.
For a more in depth look at each heart disease, symptoms, and more, visit the American Heart Association at www.heart.org. Remember, awareness is a key to prevention!
Category: The Future
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