Almost half of adults in the United States live with heart disease; However, not everyone understands the range of conditions it encompasses. The commonly used term heart disease most often refers to coronary artery disease, but also includes conditions such as arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm), heart failure, heart valve disease, congenital heart disease, and aortic disease. It will be.
The prevalence of heart disease increases with age. The incidence rate is only 1% for those aged 18 to 44, but rises to 14% for those aged 65 to 74 and 24% for those aged 75 and older.
The good news is that there are some steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing heart disease as you age. Replacing ultra-processed snacks with fruits and whole grains is a step toward a more heart-healthy diet. Regular exercise and smoking cessation are also important preventive measures. Each of these precautions will help prevent high blood pressure (high blood pressure) and high cholesterol, which are her two biggest risk factors for heart disease.
Perhaps the most underrated component of a healthy lifestyle and heart health is sleep. The ideal amount of sleep varies from person to person. However, the American Heart Association recommends 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night to improve cardiovascular health.
This Heart Health Awareness Month, learn how to implement heart-healthy habits in your daily life and the advances in cardiology you should know about.
— Christopher Lee, M.D., cardiologist and member of the VeryWell Health Medical Professionals Board
Illustration by Mira Norian from Verywell Health
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A simple way to protect your heart
ask an expert
Dr. Christopher Lee
cardiologist
Dr. Christopher Lee is a board-certified cardiologist and internist based in San Francisco, California.
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For those just starting to monitor their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, is it more important to start focusing on diet or exercise?
Dr. Lee: Both diet and exercise are important when thinking about controlling blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, if you are starting something, improving your eating habits will play the most important role. Meal plans such as the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet can significantly improve blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and weight management. No amount of exercise can make up for bad eating habits.
When do I need medication for high blood pressure? What type of medication is usually prescribed first?
Dr. Lee: Doctors grade high blood pressure according to the 2017 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines. Stage I hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure ranging from 130 to 139 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure ranging from 80 to 89 mmHg. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, initial interventions to improve your blood pressure include weight loss, dietary changes, and increased physical activity levels.
If your blood pressure remains high, consider starting medication. To make this determination, we also calculate your 10-year risk of cardiac events. Although drug therapy is individualized for each patient, common first-line drugs used at our clinic include diuretics (such as hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone), ACE inhibitors/ARBs (such as lisinopril and losartan), calcium These include channel blockers (such as amlodipine). .
Who is a good candidate for statins? What do you want people with high cholesterol to know about statins?
Dr. Lee: Statins are the most commonly used drugs to lower cholesterol. However, doctors use more than just cholesterol levels to determine whether a person is a good candidate for a statin. If you have never had a cardiac event before, statins are used for “primary prevention” – to prevent or delay your first cardiac event.
I think statins are often unfairly maligned. A significant proportion of patients who could benefit from statins discontinue the medication because of perceived side effects. Although statin-induced side effects are rare, one of the most commonly mentioned side effects is muscle pain. However, one study found that when patients were given either a statin, a placebo, or neither, the majority of side effects that occurred while patients were taking statins occurred while patients were taking the placebo pills. It has also been shown to occur in patients.
What are you most excited about in the advances in heart disease treatment over the past year?
Dr. Lee: The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (such as Wegovy and Ozempic) for both weight loss and cardiovascular health has been an exciting development in the world of cardiology . Although GLP-1 agonists have traditionally been used to treat diabetes, more recent data indicate that GLP-1 agonists can also reduce significant adverse cardiovascular events.
Previous trials have shown that GLP-1 agonists are most effective in patients with (or at high risk for) atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with type 2 diabetes. The recent exam is New England Medical Journal They found that weekly injections of semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic) reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke in overweight or obese patients, even if they had cardiovascular disease. did not do it suffer from diabetes.
Management of high blood pressure
