Protect Your Heart: What You Should Know About Heart Disease

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Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, yet many people don’t fully understand the risks or warning signs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it accounts for about 1 in every 5 deaths each year. Understanding the risks and taking preventive steps can go a long way toward protecting your long-term health.

What Is Heart Disease?

Heart disease refers to a range of conditions that affect how well your heart pumps blood throughout your body. In many cases, symptoms are not obvious until a more serious issue develops, which is why it can go unnoticed for years.

When symptoms do appear, they may include chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, or an irregular heartbeat. Some people experience pressure or tightness in the chest, neck, jaw, or back, while others may feel nausea or even vomiting. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Why It Matters

Heart disease does not just affect a small portion of the population. It is widespread. In fact, nearly half of U.S. adults have some form of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.

If left untreated, heart disease can lead to serious and life-threatening conditions such as a heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrest, or heart failure. These conditions often develop over time and may not present clear warning signs until they become severe, which is why early awareness is so important.

Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Risk

Many heart-related conditions are preventable through everyday lifestyle choices. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and limiting foods high in sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats can all support heart health.

Regular physical activity, about 150 minutes per week, can also play a significant role, along with avoiding smoking and finding healthy ways to manage stress. In addition, keeping your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar within recommended ranges can help reduce your overall risk. Guidance from the CDC’s heart disease prevention resources reinforces the importance of these habits.

A simple reminder: You do not need to wait for a health scare to start paying attention to your heart. Preventive care, regular checkups, and understanding your risk factors can go a long way in protecting your long-term well-being.

If something does not feel right, don’t ignore it. Early action can make all the difference.

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

American Heart Association

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Understanding Heart Health: A Guide for Heart Health Awareness Month (Part 1)

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February marks Heart Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular health and encouraging individuals to take proactive steps toward maintaining a healthy heart. Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death globally, highlighting the importance of understanding how to care for our hearts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 695,000 people died from heart disease in 2021 in the United States which is 1 in every 5 deaths. * This month we will look at some important aspects of heart health, risk factors for heart disease, and tips for maintaining a healthy heart. Read more

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Signs that your heart may need attention

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February is the month to focus on your heart health and make sure you are taking all the measures necessary to keep your heart strong. In 2020, about 697,000 people died from heart disease. [1] This is a stat that can’t be ignored.

Heart disease can mean different types of heart conditions for everyone. Coronary artery disease is the most common type and it affects the blood flow to your heart  – having a decreased flow can lead to a heart attack.  Heart disease can go undiagnosed for some time until symptoms start to occur and can lead to a heart attack, heart failure, or arrhythmia.

Symptoms of a heart attack can include pain or discomfort in the chest, back, neck, jaw, and one or both arms. Other possible symptoms are heartburn, nausea, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath.

Heart failure symptoms can happen over time and may include the following: shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing which produces mucus, swelling of ankles and feet, constant fatigue, increased heart rate, and confusion.[2]

An arrhythmia has to do with the rhythm of your heart. Sometimes your heart may beat too fast or slow, causing an irregular heartbeat. There are several types of arrhythmias such as Atrial Fibrillation and Tachycardia. When you have an irregular heartbeat, blood is not pumped properly throughout your body, making your lungs, brain, and other organs not function the way they should.[3]

It is vital that we learn about the warning signs and symptoms of a heart that needs tending to. Many of us get so busy in our daily life that we forget to pause and take care of ourselves and listen to our bodies. Talk to your doctor if you have any of these symptoms or feel that something isn’t quite right.

More heart-healthy articles will be coming soon. CalCPA Health understands how important it is to shed light on different health topics – so our members can have the tools and resources needed to be the best health advocate possible!

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[1] https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/about.htm

[2] https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-failure/warning-signs-of-heart-failure

[3] https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/arrhythmia/about-arrhythmia

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Symptoms of a Heart Attack

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The first step to understanding heart health is to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of a heart attack.

According to Heart.org, the main sign of a heart attack is having discomfort in your chest, usually in the center, that can longer than a few minutes or the pain could come and go. The discomfort could be described as pressure or squeezing and can be painful. Some may feel pain or discomfort in their legs, arms, jaw, neck, or stomach. You may feel lightheaded or experience shortness of breath, cold sweat, or nausea.

Educating yourself on the symptoms of a heart attack may one day help yourself or a loved one. Know the signs and be ready to CALL 911.

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Take Care of Your Heart

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February is American Heart Month when it is our call to action to make sure we make sure we take control of our heart health. Over the course of the month, we will provide educational tips and short articles on how to recognize when something isn’t feeling right with your heart, understanding blood pressure, how to reduce the risk heart disease and stroke, and the promotion of healthy habits.

Make it a point to educate yourself on heart health this month so you can start to take care of YOU. Here’s a stat that may make you start thinking about how important it is to take the necessary steps to have a reset of your daily food intake and activities: According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in the United States, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds and about 805,000 people have a heart attack every year.

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COVID-19 Update

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At the recent CalCPA Council meeting members asked about how the CPA population was fairing health wise in the COVID pandemic. Ron Lang C.E.O. of CalCPA Health told Council that based on the data from their population of approximately 800 firms, that we are fairing a bit better than the general population. This is to be expected because COVID 19 has affected older, non-working populations more. Mr. Lang stated that to date CalCPA Health has had no fatalities and he would post a data update on clips for all members – so here it is.

As of November 2, 2020, 10.2% of CalCPA Health’s population has received at least one COVID test, with 11.6% of those tests positive. That equates to 1.2% of the total population testing positive. About a quarter of the tests and confirmed cases are antibody tests. About 3.5% of the cases have required hospitalization.

Also, more 25% of CalCPA Health’s population has used some sort of telehealth/virtual doctor visit since the pandemic started, up from less than 1% prior.

COVID-19’s Impact – Are Health Insurance Rates Going Up in 2021?

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By Ron Lang, CEO of CalCPA Health
For more information, email questions@calcpahealth.com.

With doctor office and medical facilities shuttered for much of the second quarter, many were thinking their health insurance rates may not be going up for their 2021 renewal. But most everyone will see increases for next year. Why?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established mandatory operating margins for health insurance companies. These regulations mean that premium increases are driven almost exclusively by underlying medical expense increases. This is the short answer: Insurance premiums increase because medical expenses are continuing to increase.

 

Read more

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