Did you know the leading cause of death in Americans is cardiovascular disease? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “someone dies of cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds” and The American Heart Association (AHA) states that it is the number one killer among women.
Audubon County Memorial Hospital strives to take an active role in informing our community by providing knowledge about heart disease. Throughout the month of February, which is Heart Disease Awareness Month, ACMH will be posting information on their social media page, on their website (acmhhosp.org), and by presenting information in the news bringing awareness to this disease.
Dr. Saima Zafar, Cardiologist at Audubon County Memorial Hospital shared this about heart “The heart is the most important organ of the body. We continue to see the need for more education of heart disease and the prevention of heart disease. I enjoy treating patients and providing that education to make their quality of live more functional.”
Heart attack and stroke are the most well-known critical heart disease issues. ACMH encourages everyone to share the following information. By knowing the warning signs of heart attack and stroke, you could save your life or the life of someone else.
The AHA states that all persons should call 911 and get to the ER right away if you have any of the following signs and symptoms of a heart attack or stroke.
The signs and symptoms of a heart attack are:
1. Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, tightness, or heavy feeling in the chest. Most heart attacks involve pain or discomfort in the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or it can go away and come back.
2. Extreme fatigue with a sense of unusual or extreme tiredness that can last for days, or weeks. This is more common in women than men.
3. Unusual pain or discomfort in the upper body including one or both arms, shoulders, the back, neck, or jaw.
4. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort that can occur for no apparent reason.
5. Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, anxiety, nausea or lightheadedness.
The signs and symptoms of a stroke are:
1. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
2. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
3. Sudden trouble seeing or blurred vision in one or both eyes.
4. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
5. Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
It’s always best to pay attention to what your body is telling you when something does not feel right. It’s better to visit an ER and find out it’s something simple than to ignore the symptoms and find out too late that it’s more serious. If you have any concerns regarding your health, please contact your healthcare provider right away. If it is an emergency, call 9-1-1.
