Heart diseases are the number one cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. They claim more lives than every form of cancer combined, at a rate of about one out of every four deaths.
For this reason, in the month of February, the American Heart Association promotes education and active prevention as part of Heart Month.
This is especially relevant in the southeastern states, as heart disease death rates are highest there, according to CDC data for 2008-2010.
Every year, about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack. Of these, 210,000 are repeat attacks, according to the CDC. Almost half of the total occurred outside of a hospital. Therefore, while prevention and early detection are important, the CDC advises knowledge of symptoms and how to react may also save lives.
Symptoms of heart attack include chest pain, upper body pain — even in the neck and jaw — shortness of breath, nausea, light-headedness, or cold sweats.
With preventative measures, experts say heart attacks and other conditions may be avoided. According to the AHA, forming healthy eating habits, exercising regularly and proper monitoring of blood pressure are effective steps towards maintaining heart health.
Risk factors increase for heart disease in people with diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity or cholesterol or with lifestyle choices including poor diet, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol use or smoking, according to CDC data.
Thus, according to experts, making healthy dietary decisions can lower cholesterol levels, reduce the amount of fat the body must process, and ultimately lower the amount of plaque which may clog arteries.
To help prevent and monitor heart conditions, Sycamore Shoals Hospital offers CT cardiac screenings for $49.
“This screening will help you see the plaque in your arteries and alert you if it is severe enough to talk with your doctor about,” said Corey Paulson, marketing director with SSH. “It is great for anyone who has a family history of heart disease or is just concerned about it.”
To qualify, individuals must have at least three risk factors such as age, family history, a history of smoking or high blood pressure.
According to the CDC, as plaque builds up in the arteries of a person with heart disease, the interior begins to narrow, which decreases or blocks blood flow.
Paulson encouraged people to get screenings to verify this important information.
In addition to the screenings, Mountain States Health Alliance has developed a web page that calculates the age of a person’s heart. The page is accessible at mountainstatesheartage.com and considers factors like age, weight, activity level, blood pressure and other factors that may cause the heart to work harder and thus to age faster.
“Both of these services are designed to help patients take control of their health, and subsequently, to talk to their doctors if they have concerns,” said Paulson.