American Heart Association Urges Awareness on Valentine’s Day to Prioritize Heart Health

(KNSI) — Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day, but the American Heart Association wants people to think about their heart health this month.

Heart disease, which refers to several types of heart conditions, is the number one killer of both men and women, with one in five Americans dying from it in 2021.

Dr. Timothy Mynes, Medical Director with MedExpress, says there are risk factors associated with it, but some are genetically predisposed. “Risk factors for developing heart disease include your lifestyle, age, family history, high blood pressure, smoking, or high cholesterol. Dr. Mynes says according to the Centers for Disease Control, “about half of all Americans have at least one of three key risk factors for heart disease.”

Knowing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack is very important; as Dr. Mynes explains, a cardiac event looks different for different people and is often misdiagnosed in women. “Not everybody gets the chest pain in the middle of your chest; especially women. Sometimes it can be pain in the upper area of the body especially the left arm or sometimes stomach, neck, or jaw or back are often associated with the left side but doesn’t always have to be sometimes it can be the right side.”

Dr. Mynes says seeing your doctor for a yearly check-up can help make changes to prevent becoming a statistic.

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