Your life isn’t defined by your heart disease or that heart attack you had. Taking the right steps toward loving your heart can go a long way for a healthy life.
Thanks to updated guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, you and your doctor have a clearer map.
After reviewing several years of recent research, the two organizations revised their recommendations. These suggestions will guide doctors in treating people like you — with your cardiovascular problems. “Cardiovascular” is related to the heart and blood vessels.
Granted, some of the guidelines are easier to weave into your life than others. Some have stayed the same; others are different.
“These guidelines have major benefits in helping people with heart problems or have had stroke or heart attack live longer and better,” said Perry J. Weinstock, M.D., Director of Clinical Cardiology at Cooper University Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Camden.
“Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in this country, and more and more people are overweight and obese. Offering care of this nature will help us prevent future heart attacks, strokes, peripheral arterial disease and more in people with heart problems,” Dr. Weinstock said. He is also president of the Southern Jersey Chapter of the American Heart Association.
“Hospitals are already starting to see an alarming surge of aging baby boomers with cardiovascular disease, “ Dr. Weinstock said. “One in three adults has cardiovascular disease.”
Here’s what the new guidelines say about how to prevent further cardiovascular problems:
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Get a flu shot every year. The flu can be dangerous — even deadly — for people with cardiovascular problems.
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Be sure to be tested for blood sugar management every two to three months. Cardiovascular diseases can go hand in hand with diabetes, which can affect almost every part of your body such as your eyes and circulation.
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Take 75 milligrams (mg/d) to 162 mg/d of aspirin. Lower doses are better since aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding. The old guidelines suggested between 75 mg/d to 325 mg/d. However, follow your doctor’s instructions when using aspirin therapy.
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Exercise moderately — such as brisk walking — at least five to seven days a week. This can build your heart muscle.
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Strive to get your LDL cholesterol — the bad kind that clogs arteries — to below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), no matter what kind of shape your cardiovascular system is in.
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Make sure your blood pressure is less than 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mgHg) or less than 130/80 mgHg if you have diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
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Don’t smoke. Among the problems caused by smoking, constricted blood vessels are among the many health risks.
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Lose at least 10 percent of your body weight. Once you do that, aim to lose more. The ideal is to have a waist of less than 40 inches in men and less than 35 in women and a body mass between 18.5 and 24.9. Overweight and obesity can strain the heart, causing it to dangerously enlarge.
This isn’t just good advice for people with heart problems. Everyone should be making changes to protect their hearts.
This article was reviewed by Perry J. Weinstock, M.D., Director of Clinical Cardiology at Cooper University Hospital.
The Cooper Heart Institute gives you quality heart care you can’t find anywhere else in South Jersey. To make an appointment or to get more information, please call 800-8 Cooper or visit www.CooperHeart.org.