American Heart Month

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and Burke Primary Care is encouraging patients to take preventive steps during American Heart Month in February.

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. In the United States, the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to heart attack. You can greatly reduce your risk for heart disease through lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medicine.

Prevent Heart Disease & Stroke

Preventive heart disease care starts with some basics. We call these Life’s Simple 7:

Manage your blood pressure

Control cholesterol

Reduce blood sugar

Get active

Eat better

Lose weight

Stop smoking

Find out if you are at risk. Schedule an appointment today. You can contact us here or call us directly (828-437-4211).

High Cholesterol

Fact: According to the CDC, almost 1 in 3 US adults have high blood cholesterol. High blood cholesterol is a major factor for Heart Disease and Stroke. It can be hard to detect and often shows no signs or symptoms. Strong evidence shows that eating patterns that include less dietary cholesterol is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Control High Cholesterol

So how do you responsibly handle cholesterol levels? Follow the Simple 7 above!

Regularly consult your doctor on cholesterol levels

Eat better

Get active

Stop smoking

Lose weight

All adults 20 or older should have cholesterol tested and a doctor consulted on any adjustments needed. Behaviors go a long way in bringing down cholesterol numbers! Work with your doctor on understanding your cholesterol and any lifestyle changes you need to make.

Are You at Risk?

Some people are more at risk for high cholesterol levels than others. Some risk factors are behavioral, others are outside your control. Some factors/behaviors that can put you at risk:

Type-2 diabetes

Other health conditions (consult your doctor)

Family history of high cholesterol

Risk goes up with age

Unhealthy diet

Not enough physical exercise

Smoking

Excess weight

Learn more about the causes of high cholesterol here. Make an appointment at Burke Primary Care today if you think you're at risk of high cholesterol or heart disease by phone or email.

Heart Disease

Fact: Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, 1 person dies every 37 seconds from heart disease. February is the month we can focus on Heart Health and taking preventive steps. Learn more facts of heart disease from the CDC.

Heart disease risks are similar to the risks of high cholesterol. Except for that high blood cholesterol itself is a risk factor for heart disease, as well as high blood pressure and excessive alcohol use. In order to prevent heart disease, you should consult your doctor or make an appointment at Burke Primary Care. Generally, some changes that will help are exercise, eating better, don't smoke and don't drink.

Stroke

Fact: the 5th leading cause of death in the United States. Every year, 795,000 people in the US have a stroke. About 610,000 of those are new strokes, and 185,000 are recurring strokes. Stroke is an important cause of disability. They reduce mobility in most survivors over 65.

Risks of stroke are the same as risks of heart disease, with the addition of a previous stroke as a risk factor. Find out if you are at risk, or need to control your risk factors by making an appointment at Burke Primary Care today.

Resources for Heart Health Month

There are many resources available on the Internet to learn more about preventative heart care and a healthy lifestyle. Several of these are:

For the Simple 7: https://www.oregonlive.com/health_plus/2018/02/diet_lifes_simple_7_are_among.html

For cholesterol: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/causes-of-high-cholesterol

For heart disease: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/american_heart_month.htm

For stroke: https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/

For some additional facts: https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm