Commentary—

Join The Fight Against Heart Disease

By Donna M. Culbert

On National Wear Red Day, February 1, millions of Americans will wear red to show their commitment to the fight against heart disease in women. Wear Red Day doesn’t just raise money, it raises awareness. Far too many Americans still don’t know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of US women or what they can do to prevent it. It is important to know the facts about women and cardiovascular disease.

Diseases of the heart and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of women over age 25.

Heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of more than 460,000 women each year — about a death a minute. That is more lives than are claimed by the next five causes of death combined and nearly twice as many as are claimed by all forms of cancer, including breast cancer.

One in 30 female deaths is from breast cancer, while one in 2.6 is from cardiovascular diseases.

Sixty-four percent of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms of this disease.

Please have the women in your life visit goredforwomen.org and take the Go Red Heart Checkup.

Although Wear Red Day is emphasizing women’s heart health, heart disease is a man killer, too. Newtown’s statistics show that heart disease affects far too many members in our community. The most current complete available data is from 2006 and shows that Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps responded to and transported 15 cardiac arrest patients.

There is some good news to be shared here: In its recent report, on January 22, US News and World Report stated that since 1999, real progress is being made toward the goal of reducing death from heart disease and stroke. In its report, Dr Dan Jones, president of the American Heart Association, stated that a number of factors have contributed to the reduction of deaths from heart disease and stroke. They include better treatment for heart disease and stroke, with new medications and technologies, and new treatment guidelines. Also noteworthy, he said, are better drugs and treatment guidelines to control blood pressure and cholesterol, and a reduction in smoking rates.

Here’s the challenge: Much of the progress comes from better treatment, not prevention. We need to do more to prevent heart disease, particularly with the epidemic of childhood obesity. More effort is also needed to control risk factors — such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol — for heart disease and stroke. It all comes back to pursuing a healthier lifestyle, choosing the right foods and preparing them healthfully; incorporating consistent physical activity, like swimming, jogging, dancing, or walking into your daily life; which in turn will help in managing your weight and controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol. Remember to visit American Heart Association’s website, or the many other local sources of wellness info, to give you guidance in getting started.

If you are interested in donating to the American Heart Association, please contact me, Donna Culbert, at the Newtown Health District, 31 Peck’s Lane, Newtown, CT 06470, 270-4291, for details.

(Donna M. Culbert, MPH, PE, RS, is director of health for the Newtown Health District.)