We want to get straight to the answer we pose in the title of this blog about whether heart disease is preventable. In a word, yes. More to the point, about 90% of heart disease is preventable, which is great news considering that heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States.
As medical professionals who focus on cardiovascular health, the team here at Advanced Cardiology Specialists believes that it’s no exaggeration to say that steps to prevent heart disease are steps that can save your life.
Here, we take a look at why heart disease is so preventable and how you can take action to safeguard your health.
Heart health experts often refer to the Big Three when it comes to risk factors for heart disease, which includes conditions like arrhythmia, heart attack, valvular disease, and congestive heart failure. These factors include:
Alarmingly, nearly half of Americans (about 47%) have at least one of these risk factors.
The commonality that we want to emphasize with these three is that each is reversible. You can quit smoking, you can lower your blood pressure, and you can control your cholesterol. Granted, we understand that mitigating these three risks is easier said than done, but they are well worth the effort, and we’re here to help in any way we can.
For example, if you have high blood pressure, we can prescribe medications, as well as lifestyle changes that will bring your blood pressure numbers down. The same holds true for high cholesterol — medications and lifestyle changes, especially dietary ones, can help bring your cholesterol numbers into healthier ranges.
If you’re a smoker, now’s the time to quit, and we can help point you in the right direction for some great quitting tools, starting with this website.
Even though the three main risk factors for heart disease are within your power to improve and change, some aren’t, including:
The older you are, the more your chances increase for developing heart disease.
If you have a close family member, such as a parent, a grandparent, or a sibling who has heart disease, you may have inherited a propensity for heart issues, as well.
Although you may not be able to change your age or your genetics, if you’re more at risk for heart disease for either of these factors, you can still take some great steps to offset these risks. For example, a little exercise, eating a more heart-healthy diet, and managing stress are all great practices.
An important first step toward preventing heart disease is to come see us so that we can assess your risks. From there, we can provide you with a plan moving forward that will help lower your risks considerably.
To get started, please contact our office in Mountain View, California, to set up your consultation.
