By Alanna Quillen • Published February 3, 2021 • Updated on February 3, 2021 at 7:12 am
The city of Dallas is partnering with Methodist Health System in
the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. The goal is to get more vaccines more quickly
to the public, especially people living in hard-hit zip codes. NBC 5’s Vince
Sims reports.
February is American Heart Month.
It's a time to raise awareness of cardiovascular health.
The annual effort by the American Heart Association also comes at a time when the
COVID-19 pandemic has certainly not been kind to our hearts.
For example, a recent survey by The
Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association shows
that U.S. adults are reporting the highest stress levels since the early days
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you have underlying heart issues, contracting
COVID-19 is especially dangerous. In fact -- even for healthy individuals --
the virus may directly invade or inflame the heart muscle and potentially cause
damage through lack of oxygen levels, according to doctors at
Harvard Medical School.
And unfortunately, local health care
professionals are seeing another side effect of the virus among the cardiovascular
community.
New data from the American Heart Association
shows more than 1 in 4 adults – about 28% – experiencing a heart attack or
stroke would rather stay at home than risk getting infected with covid-19 at
the hospital. The survey also shows adults who are at risk for cardiovascular
disease or stroke are more worried about covid-19 than having a heart attack or
stroke.
Dr. Carl Horton, a cardiologist for Texas Health
Cleburne and Texas Health Physicians Group, said heart attacks and strokes don’t
stop for COVID-19. He said heart attack and stroke symptoms are always urgent
and the hospital is still the safest place to be.
“They should not delay or worry about
contracting COVID-19 in the hospital or emergency room. You're still more
likely to die of a heart attack instead of COVID,” he said. “In the cardiology
field, we have a saying called ‘time is muscle’. So if you wait in going to the
hospital when you have an acute event, then you can suffer sudden death at home
or suffer severe congestive heart failure and lose a lot of heart muscle.”
There's good reason why Horton says you should
take your heart seriously, especially for women:
·
Cardiovascular disease
(CVD) is the No. 1 killer of women, claiming the lives of one in three women.
It claims more women’s lives than all forms of cancer combined.
·
Women, especially Black
people and Hispanics, are disproportionally impacted by heart disease and
stroke.
·
CVD kills one woman
about every 80 seconds.
·
New data suggests
younger generations of women, Gen Z and Millennials, are less likely to be
aware of their greatest health threat, including knowing the warning signs of
heart attacks and strokes.
·
Cardiovascular disease
is the no. 1 killer of new moms.
·
Pregnancy-related deaths
in the U.S. are rising at an alarming rate — and cardiovascular disease is the
leading cause.
·
More younger women than
men are having heart attacks.
Doctors said awareness is critical. Starting at
age 20, women should consider getting screening for cardiovascular diseases and
learn about their family health history.
According to the American Heart Association, 80%
of cardiac events can be prevented through education and lifestyle changes such
as moving more, eating smart and managing blood pressure.
“With COVID, sometimes people eat more because
they’re at home. Most patients that I’ve seen have gained anywhere between five
and 15 pounds I would say since Covid started,” said Horton. “The food that we
take in, it plays a bigger role in our health than a lot of people realize.”
Experts say it’s also important to know your
numbers. Discuss the following personal health numbers with your doctor to help
determine risk for heart disease:
·
Total Cholesterol
·
HDL (good) cholesterol
·
Blood pressure
·
Blood Sugar
·
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Data shows around 90% of women have one or more
of those risk factors for developing heart disease.
To show support for these issues and to
encourage women to be aware of the risk factors for heart issues, people are encouraged to wear
red this Friday for National Wear Red Day.
No comments:
Post a Comment