Controlling Risk Factors is Best Option to Lowering Risk of Heart Attack

February is American Heart Month

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) death rates are declining, but CVD is still the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, with risk factor control remaining a challenge for many people. That's according to the most recent data from the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2008 Update*. Physicians at Lakeland Community Hospital agree.

CVD deaths do appear to be decreasing, but the prevalence of many related risk factors is holding steady or increasing. There are nine major factors, including six that can be managed, which put people at greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke. The three risk factors that can't be changed include advanced age, heredity (including family history and race), and gender. The six key risk factors that people can treat or modify include smoking cigarettes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity / overweight, and diabetes. By focusing on these risks, people can lower their risks for heart attack and stroke.

CVD has been the leading cause of death in the United States every year since 1900 except during the 1918 flu epidemic, claiming nearly a million lives each year.

In particular, people are struggling more with their weight. Sixty-six percent of adults are overweight while 31.4 percent are considered obese. And, perhaps even more frightening, 17% percent of children and adolescents ages 12-19 are overweight, along with 17.5 percent of children ages 6-11, and 14 percent of children ages 2-5.

Connected to the problem of weight is the increasing incidence of diabetes. It has been projected that diabetes prevalence will more than double between 2005 and 2050. (Diabetes is defined as a fasting blood glucose level of 126 milligrams per deciliter or more.) About a third of the more than 15.1 million people with diabetes don't know they have it, and another 59.7 million have prediabetes (a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter), which greatly increases the risk of diabetes. At least 65 percent of people with diabetes die from some type of cardiovascular disease."

Perhaps the best known of the risk factors is smoking, which raises the risk of coronary heart disease death two to three times. In spite of the awareness of these risks, prevalence remains high. More than 46 million U.S. adults are daily smokers, and about 4,000 people ages 12-17 begin smoking every day.

Reducing Your Risk
The first step in the fight against heart disease is to have an annual physical with a primary care physician who will evaluate all of your risks and can assist you in creating a plan to reduce your risk. Here a few practical steps people can take to fight heart disease.

Limit your intake of fat and sugars
Try to avoid foods with saturated fats and trans fats
Limit your intake of sodium and salt
Eat plenty of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products
Stop smoking
Start an exercise program that keeps you physically active 30 to 60 minutes a day
Choose meat and poultry that are lean and include more fish in your diet
If you drink alcohol, limit your intake to 1 -2 glasses a day

Every Second Counts
Most importantly, people need to become aware of the symptoms of both heart attack and stroke and the importance of taking quick action. Heart attacks and strokes are life-and-death emergencies - and every single second counts. Everyone should know the symptoms, and if they see or have any of them, immediately call 9-1-1.

Today heart attack and stroke victims can benefit from new medications and treatments unavailable to patients in years past. For example, clot-busting drugs can stop some heart attacks and strokes in progress, reducing disability and saving lives. But to be effective, these drugs must be given relatively quickly after heart attack or stroke symptoms first appear.

Heart Attack Warning Signs

Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

Stroke Warning Signs

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Not all of these signs occur in every heart attack or stroke. Sometimes they go away and return.

Read more>> about developing a healthy heart.

* The AHA Update is available in the Dec. 17 online issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association at http://www.americanheart.org/statistics. The Update provides statistics about cardiovascular diseases, risk factors, treatments, quality of care and costs. The American Heart Association does not generate the data, but synthesizes it from many sources and provides it online without charge for government policymakers, physicians, researchers, educators and the public, making the Update a unique national - and even international - resource.