Cardiovascular health

February is the time when all people, especially women, are encouraged to focus on their cardiovascular health.

• Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women and stoke is the #4 killer 
• By the age of 40, most women have at least one risk factor for heart disease 
• Risk factors for heart disease include but aren’t limited to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, extra weight, diabetes, sleep apnea
• Risk factors for stroke include smoking, lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol use, poor eating habits, migraine headaches.
• To help protect yourself from stroke and heart disease; exercise, eat a heart healthy diet, know your lab values, limit alcohol use, stop smoking, take care of your mental health! 
• Signs of a heart attack in women are different than men. Look out for constant and unrelieved pain in the back, neck, jaw, or throat. Indigestion and heartburn unrelieved by medication, sudden extreme fatigue, or shortness of breath, and chest pain.
• Strokes happen quickly, and the sooner you get medical attention the better. Look out for sudden onset of numbness or weakness on one side of the body,face, or arm, confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, difficulty walking, extreme dizziness or loss of balance of coordination, severe headache. 
  

https://www.womenshealth.gov/heart-disease-and-stroke#:~:text=Heart%20disease%20is%20the%20number,and%20stroke%20at%20any%20age.​