Georgia doctors discuss how to maintain a healthy heart
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - It’s American Heart Month - and Georgia doctors are teaching you how to maintain a healthy heart.
The awareness campaign is meant to inform people about the risks of heart disease and ways manage heart health.
In 2022, one in every five deaths in the U.S. was caused by heart disease, according to the CDC.
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The leading cause of heart disease is high blood pressure—a condition where the force of blood against artery walls is too high.
Nearly half of adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure, with just one in four of them having it under control.
Dr. Dale Daly, a cardiologist at Memorial Health in Savannah, said there are other factors that can also put you at risk for heart disease or heart attacks, including smoking habits, diabetes or a poor diet.
He said there are ways to treat those problems.
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“The first thing would be cigarette cessation. Those with diabetes or at risk for diabetes should be first screened for the presence or absence, then if they have it, it needs to be aggressively treated. Effectively treating high blood pressure, diagnosing and effectively treating is another huge thing. And then healthy diet and lifestyle,” said Dr. Daly.
According to the CDC, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds in the U.S., and most of them are silent, meaning there’s damage done to the heart without people knowing.
Heart attacks happen when the heart doesn’t get enough blood.
Dr. Daly says there are several symptoms that indicate an impending heart attack people should keep in mind, including chest pain, pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back and shortness of breath.
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He says if you experience those symptoms, it’s important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
“We have a goal that within 60 to 90 minutes of somebody entering our facility, that their clogged artery causing a heart attack is open. And to be able to do that, we have to have people here promptly. Because the longer they stay away, the longer they wait, the more damage is done with their heart attack,” said Dr. Daly.
For some people, the methods used to reduce heart disease or heart attacks are less effective.
In those cases, surgery is necessary. Surgeons will perform things like coronary artery by grafts, heart transplants, and valve replacements or repairs.
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