By Stephanie Lachapelle for Heart1.com
As her Inspiring Story on the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women website explains, Jennifer Mele, 35, thought she was too young for heart-related issue. She ignored a heartburn-like sensation and pain that spread down her arms and across her back. “Why would I think anything was wrong? Heart attacks happened to older people with bad diets, not 35-year old marathon runners with low cholesterol levels”, she told the AHA. The pain worsened until she finally saw a doctor, who explained that she had actually suffered a heart attack. “To my shock, a cardiac catheterization showed that I'd had a heart attack. The doctors believed a heart spasm caused a rupture of cholesterol plaque”, an occurrence more common than you’d expect.
According to the AHA, about 80 million Americans have one or more heart and blood vessel-related diseases. Heart-related conditions are collectively termed cardiovascular disease. Once thought to be a condition affecting the elderly and older Americans, cardiovascular disease is America’s #1 killer, claiming 864,000 lives each year. As Jennifer Mele’s story and stories from other young women in the Inspiring Story section of the AHA’s website confirm, cardiovascular disease affects the young, the old, and the seemingly healthy.
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Talk to your doctor to learn more about heart disease and stroke. Below is a list of questions you should ask your doctor to determine your risk of heart disease and stroke.
What is my total cholesterol level? What are my HDL (good) and LDL (bad) levels? What should I do to lower my cholesterol?
What are my risk factors for heart attack and stroke?
How would I know if I am having a heart attack or stroke?
What should I do if I think I’m having a heart attack or stroke?
What is my blood pressure and how may it affect my health?
How can I quit smoking?
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The term cardiovascular disease covers several conditions related to the heart and the blood vessels, such as heart disease, heart attack, stroke and heart failure. The Go Red for Women campaign seeks to reduce the percentage of Americans at risk for coronary heart disease and stroke by 2010, and urges that the time for action is now. The following is some information about the signs and symptoms of these conditions, and how you can recognize and prevent them.
Coronary Heart Disease Coronary heart disease is actually a disease caused by atherosclerosis, a condition where the arteries around the heart and in other areas narrow due to a buildup of a substance called plaque. Plaque is a substance made up of fat, cholesterol and other molecules that are not soluble in the blood. Because these molecules are not absorbed in the blood, they stick to the walls of the arteries and harden. A buildup of plaque will narrow the diameter of the blood vessel and make the vessel less flexible; making it harder for blood to flow so the heart works harder. If the coronary arteries, the arteries responsible for bringing oxygen and nutrients to the heart, become narrow, blood flow to the heart may slow or even stop, causing chest pain, shortness of bread, or heart attack. Additionally, if pieces of the plaque break off from the artery wall, they can become lodged in an artery or vessel leading to the heart or brain and can cause heart attack, or stroke.
Symptoms of Heart Attack Many heart attacks come on suddenly, where the patient grasps their chest and falls to the ground. However, heart attacks can also be gradual, with mild discomfort, leading people to wait too long to get help. If you experience any of these symptoms, be sure to get to a hospital immediately. The AHA warns not to wait more than 5 minutes before calling for help, and warns not to drive yourself to the hospital unless absolutely necessary. Symptoms include:
Uncomfortable pressure or pain or a feeling of fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest- This discomfort or pain often lasts more than a few minutes and may fade in and out.
Pain or discomfort in on or both arms, the back, neck, law or stomach
Shortness of breath, with or without chest pain or discomfort
Sudden and unexplainable cold sweats, nausea, light-headedness, dizziness
Stroke Stroke is a vascular disease that affects the arteries leading to and from the brain. Stroke occurs when an artery that feeds blood, oxygen and nutrients to the brain bursts or is blocked by plaque. This decreases the amount of vital oxygen flowing to the brain, so the brain begins to die. When this happens, the part of the body controlled by that section of the brain is affected. This can cause paralysis, affect language, vision, and motor function and can cause other problems.
Symptoms of Stroke Any delay in treatment can lead to further brain damage. Check the time when you begin experiencing symptoms. If you are having symptoms that last more than a few minutes, call for help immediately. If treated within three hours or the start of symptoms, clot-fighting drugs can reduce the effects of a stroke. If you are experiencing these symptoms, call for help immediately:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially if this occurs only on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding
Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden difficulty walking, loss of balance or coordination or dizziness
Sudden, severe and unexplainable headache Because symptoms of stroke are not always obvious to the outside observer, a person must recognize the early warning signs and act quickly to minimize the devastating effects.
Congestive Heart Failure One of the most significant side effects of untreated heart disease is congestive heart failure, a condition where the heart can no longer pump enough blood out to the body. As blood flow slows, blood returning from the body to the heart backs up, causing fluid buildup around the heart. This causes swelling, called edema, in the arms, legs and sometimes in other parts of the body. Sometimes the lungs will fill with fluid as well, causing shortness of breath. Congestive heart failure also reduces the ability of the kidneys to dispose of sodium and water properly, resulting in an increase in edema. Among other causes, this results from coronary heart disease and is worsened by high blood pressure.
Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure Symptoms of congestive heart failure vary from patient to patient and depend on the particular organ system most affected by the fluid retention, and the degree to which the unaffected parts of the body have compensated for the weakened blood flow. Symptoms include:
Fatigue- patients may not notice a subconscious reduction in physical activity
Swelling of the legs, ankles, arms, or abdomen
Shortness of breath, particularly during physical exertion
Difficulty sleeping
Increased urination
Nausea, abdominal pain, decreased appetite
Prevention: What you can do to avoid these conditions The most unsettling fact about cardiovascular disease is that it is nearly always preventable. Simple lifestyle changes may prevent you from suffering a heart attack or stroke. Before beginning any diet or exercise regimen, speak with your doctor. Take these steps to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke:
Don’t smoke, and avoid second hand smoke
If you have high blood pressure, take action to treat it
Eat a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and salt, and drink alcohol in moderation
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. To accomplish this goal, take your dog for a walk, or take a stroll with your children or spouse.
Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes
Schedule your annual checkup and follow your doctor’s orders for taking medicine
Ask family members about their heart history-you may be at higher risk if someone in your family has had heart disease or has suffered a stroke
For more information visit heart1.com To join the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, to download your information kit, and to receive your free Red Dress pin, visit the American Heart Association
