Cold Weather, Healthy Heart
MAR 08, 2024When temperatures drop, keeping warm isn’t the only thing you need to think about.
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Heart diseases causes one in every four deaths in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. We hear a lot about the danger of heart disease, but what exactly is heart disease?
Heart disease can refer to several conditions that affect how well your heart can pump blood. However, the leading cause of heart disease is atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque and fat deposits in the heart’s arterial walls. Over time, this buildup gradually accumulates and reduces the blood flow, restricting oxygen from reaching the heart.
When this occurs, the heart can grow weaker until it can’t pump enough blood to other areas of the body. Eventually, the plaque can build up so much that it blocks the artery entirely, resulting in a heart attack.
The most common symptoms of heart disease include:
Those with heart disease or a heart-related incident may also experience a sensation of numbness or tingling in the shoulders, jaw, arms, or neck, as well as shortness of breath while lying down, during activity, or while at rest.
If you ever experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting, you should seek emergency medical care.
Specific symptoms can help identify the type of heart condition. For example:
Coronary artery disease is a narrowing of the coronary arteries in which blood and oxygen to the heart become restricted or cut off. This can cause shortness of breath, chest pain (also known as angina), anxiety, physical pain in the jaw, neck, arms, and back, and an eventual heart attack.
If you are experiencing symptoms associated with any of these conditions, the best course of action is to talk to your doctor. It is an especially good idea to contact your doctor if you already have heart disease and develop new symptoms, or if your existing symptoms happen more often or get worse.
Heart disease is easiest to treat when it is detected before symptoms become severe; it’s important to be proactive about reaching out to your physician if you have any questions or concerns about your heart health.
Most heart disease is the product of both genetics and lifestyle choices. Genetics can influence the risk of heart disease but lifestyle choices still have a big influence on how the disease progress.
There is hope if you are diagnosed with some form of heart disease. Some heart disease has a high probability of being cured once diagnosed. Coronary artery disease, for instance, can often be reversed by making major lifestyle changes.
For example, quitting smoking, eating a low-cholesterol, vegetable-rich diet, exercising regularly, and integrating stress management tools into your life can all make an impact on heart health.
Most people diagnosed with some form of heart disease do have it for the rest of their life. Living with heart disease can be challenging, and working closely with your heart doctor is very important to give your heart the best opportunity to get better and reduce the risk of future adverse events. However, the changes mentioned above can help you manage your heart disease.
Our team of highly trained and skilled specialists are here to to provide you with state-of-the-art heart and vascular care. Learn more.
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Spirit of Health magazine's print edition is distributed quarterly and focuses on topics related to our CHI Saint Joseph Health purpose and values.