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Heart Health Month

About Heart Health
Heart disease refers to several types of conditions that affect the heart, which include:
  • Disease of the blood vessels, such as coronary artery disease
  • Irregular heartbeats (atrial fibrillation)
  • Congenital heart defects
  • Disease of the heart muscle
  • Heart valve disease
The most common type of heart disease in the United States is coronary artery disease, which affects blood flow to the heart and can increase the risk of a heart attack.
Symptoms
Symptoms of heart disease may include chest pain or discomfort, pain in the upper back or neck, indigestion, heartburn, nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath.  Additional symptoms for arrhythmia include chest palpitations.  Swelling of the feet, ankles, legs, abdomen, or neck veins could indicate heart failure.
Statistics and Risk Factors
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are the most common risk factors for heart disease.  Nearly half of the people in the United States have at least one of these risk factors.  Other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can increase a person's risk for heart disease, including:
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Unhealthy diet
  • Physical inactivity
  • Excessive alcohol use
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.  In 2020, 1 in every 4 male deaths and 1 in every 5 female deaths was caused by heart disease.  Only 56 percent of women recognize that heart disease is their number one killer.

About 1 in 16 women, age 20 and older, have coronary heart disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey data in 2021, Ohio was the sixth highest state in the nation for people who have coronary heart disease.