February a good time to check your heart health

SOMERSET ― February is American Heart Month and what better time to step back and think about your heart health?

Heart disease, or coronary artery disease, is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States and in Pennsylvania, according to the UPMC Heart & Vascular Institute.

"Heart disease is a priority in Somerset County," said Dr. Ehab Morcos, Interventional Cardiologist, Department of Medicine/Family Medicine chairman at UPMC-Somerset, 225 S. Center Ave., Somerset. "The majority are elderly because of degeneration of the health of valves."

Many problems with the heart happen because of atherosclerosis, or the buildup of plaque in the body's arteries. Plaque buildup causes the arteries to narrow, which makes it harder for the blood to flow through the body.

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The different types of heart disease include:

Heart attack, when a blood clot cuts off blood flow to part of your heart; stroke, when a blood vessel to the brain gets blocked, often by a blood clot; heart failure, when the heart isn't pumping blood as effectively as it used to and the body doesn't get as much blood and oxygen as it needs; arrhythmia, when the person has an abnormal heart rhythm, beating irregularly, too fast, or too slow; and heart valve problems, when a heart valve doesn't open or close properly, affecting how the heart pumps blood through your body.

A person's lifestyle has a lot to do with the increase in risk of heart disease. Those indicators include:

High cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, family history of heart disease, obesity and age. Nearly half of Americans have at least one heart disease risk factor, according to UPMC Heart & Vascular Institute.

"A sedentary lifestyle is not favorable," Morcos said. "Move around. Excessive drinking, smoking, and drug use can all cause heart attacks."

Why get treatment for heart disease?

"Seventy percent of the work is preventive; treated with medicine and making lifestyle changes," Morcos said. "Thirty percent requires surgical treatment."

The goals of heart disease treatment are to:

Prevent further heart damage; slow or stop the buildup of plaque; lower the risk of blood clots to prevent heart attack and stroke; relieve symptoms; widen or bypass arteries; and correct valve problems. Treatment may also include lifestyle changes, heart disease drugs, and surgery.

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Typical lifestyle changes to help in treating heart disease to prevent or reverse damage to the heart and lessen symptoms that can be made include:

Quit smoking; avoid excessive drinking; follow a heart-healthy diet; exercise regularly; maintain an ideal weight; and manage stress. The doctor may prescribe drugs to lower a person's risk of serious complications and to manage symptoms.

Could this be you?

"Sometimes an event starts your heart disease awareness," Morcos said. "One patient said his brother had open heart surgery. He asked what does he have to do to not have that happen? Screenings saves lives. I've seen it many, many times. If you don't take care of yourself you might wake up and find you had a heart attack."

Morcos said typically an office visit will include a physical exam and electrocardiogram (EKG). If something abnormal shows up, then a cardiac exam, stress test and echocardiogram will be ordered. Then the doctor and patient will discuss the treatment they need.

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The key is "Prevention. Be aware of your health," Morcos said. "It starts from you. Look at your risks. At least get your baseline checked."

The interventional cardiology lab at UPMC-Somerset will help patients not have to travel to Pittsburgh.

"We can do catheterization procedures to open arteries, pacemakers, difibrillations, treat open ulcers in the legs, clots through deep vein thrombosis, and taking clots out of the lung," he said. "For the 30% who are sick, they definitely have access to a lot of procedures here."

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: February's Heart Health Month brings attention to heard disease