The Doctor is In: Keep your cardiovascular system in top shape

Every 39 seconds, cardiovascular disease takes someone’s life — or the
lives of more than 2,200 people each day — according to current data
from the American Heart Association. Due to lifestyle factors, hereditary heart
disease, the aging process, congenital heart defects and other causes, many of
us will develop some form of cardiovascular disease in our lifetime.
Cardiovascular diseases include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary
artery disease, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), aneurysms, hardening of the
arteries (atherosclerosis), heart failure, heart valve disease, and irregular
heartbeats (arrhythmias).

The cardiovascular system — which is composed of the heart, blood
vessels, and blood — has the important job of nourishing all of the organs
throughout the body. The heart pumps oxygen-rich blood through your body, while
the blood vessels carry blood throughout the body. Any chronic health condition
that affects the organs of the body also affects the cardiovascular system. Therefore,
if you have diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, see your doctor
for regular monitoring of your condition and follow your doctor’s
recommendations to prevent or delay long-term problems with your health. If you
are taking prescription medicine to control your condition, follow your doctor’s
prescribing instructions closely and refill your prescription as needed.

Because the development of cardiovascular disease is a long-term process,
usually beginning without any noticeable symptoms and progressing slowly over
time, many people with cardiovascular disease don’t see their doctor until they
have chest pain or find themselves in the hospital after a stroke or heart
attack. In addition, conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and
hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) have no symptoms, so you need to see your
personal physician for routine screening.

To detect hyperlipidemia, your doctor will perform a simple blood test
known as a lipid panel or lipoprotein profile — this should be done every five
years after the age of 20. Lipid panels measure your total cholesterol (aim for
less than 200 mg/dL), HDL/good cholesterol (60 mg/dL is the ideal
reading), LDL/bad cholesterol (less than 100 mg/dL is optimal), and
triglycerides (normal is considered less than 150 mg/dL). Hypertension can be
detected during your annual physical examination. The optimal blood pressure
for adult men and women is less than 120/80 mmHg.

Some of the most common symptoms of cardiovascular disease include:

·
Chest pain (angina)

·
Shortness of breath
during normal activity

·
Heart palpitations

·
Pain in the leg or
hip while walking and then goes away when you sit down (intermittent
claudication)

·
Increased heart
rate, weakness, dizziness, nausea or sweating

It’s important to know the early warning signs of cardiovascular disease
and take steps now to protect your good health — even if you think you’re too
young or too healthy right now to worry about suffering a stroke, heart attack,
high blood pressure, or other heart-health concern later in your life. This is especially true if heart attacks, stroke, or diabetes are
common in your family. And whatever your age, I cannot stress enough the importance of being physically active, keeping
your weight under control, not smoking, reducing stress, maintaining optimal
blood pressure and cholesterol levels, controlling blood sugar (if you have
diabetes), and eating a well-balanced, heart-healthy diet.

The American Heart Association has a published a list of thetop 10 cardiovascular disease myths. An information-packedHeart
Health Action Kit
also is available from
theNational
Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
.

*Joshua
Feinberg, D.O., is a family medicine physician in practice at the Crozer Health
Pavilion, 145 Brinton Lake Road, Suite 201, Glen Mills,
PA 19342, 610-459-1619

About Crozer Keystone Staff

Crozer-Keystone Health System’s physicians, specialists and advanced practitioners are committed to improving the health of our community through patient-centered, quality care across a full continuum of health services. Crozer Brinton Lake is Crozer-Keystone’s comprehensive outpatient care facility in western Delaware County, offering primary care, specialty services, outpatient surgery and advanced cancer treatment. Contact us: 300 Evergreen Drive, Glen Mills, PA 19342 http://www.crozerkeystone.org/Brinton-Lake 1-855-254-7425

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