COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Maury Regional Medical Center (MRMC) is encouraging individuals to help promote awareness of cardiovascular disease by participating in National Wear Red Day on Feb. 2.
The annual event provides an opportunity to show support for heart health by wearing red. Cardiovascular disease remains the No. 1 killer of both American men and women, accounting for more than 900,000 deaths in the U.S. every year, according to the American Heart Association. Here are more facts:
∙ Cardiovascular disease is responsible for more deaths in the U.S. each year than all forms of cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease combined
∙ 90% of women have one or more risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease
∙ Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease
∙ The symptoms of heart disease can be different in women and men
∙ People with diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease or a stroke than someone who doesn’t have diabetes.
∙ Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by addressing behavioral risk factors such as high blood pressure, tobacco use, unhealthy diet and obesity, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol
“Increasing awareness is imperative to changing these statistics and fighting this disease,” said Maury Regional Health (MRH) CEO Martin Chaney, MD. “Both men and women should be aware of the signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke, as well as their individual risk factors for heart disease. Early detection is also essential to effectively treating heart disease, so discuss screenings with your physician.”
Cardiovascular disease can often lead to heart attacks and strokes, where symptoms can sometimes be hard to spot and can even present themselves differently in women than men.
Warning signs of a heart attack include tightness or pain in the chest, discomfort in other parts of the upper body such as the back or jaw, shortness of breath, unusual fatigue and nausea. Women can be more likely than men to experience shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, or back or jaw pain.
The most common symptom of a stroke is sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg, most often on one side of the body. Other signs include sudden confusion, trouble seeing or blurred vision, dizziness or loss of balance, and a sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Anyone who thinks they might be experiencing heart problems should call 911 immediately. Maury Regional Health’s emergency responders are equipped to begin treatment immediately and relay vital information to the hospital while in route to the Emergency Department. Physicians and staff are then waiting for the patient and can begin treatment immediately. Treatments may include intervention in the cardiac catheterization lab to open the blocked vessel or, in severe cases, patients may be referred for open heart surgery.
MRMC is recognized as a Chest Pain Center with PCI by the American College of Cardiology and holds certification in the treatment of heart failure from The Joint Commission. It also recently received reaccreditation in echocardiography from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission in the areas of adult transthoracic and adult stress.
Learn more at MauryRegional.com/heart.