Get screened, and keep the beat
FEBRUARY IS Heart Month! This year the Heart Foundation of Jamaica recognises Heart Month with the theme: Prevent Heart Failure, Get Screened, Keep the beat.
Although heart disease remains the number-one killer worldwide, and in our region – the Caribbean and Latin America, there have been many advances in the management of heart disease. We have learned how to save the lives of people with heart attacks, valve disease, and hypertensive heart disease. Children with congenital heart disease now live to adulthood. But one of the consequences of these advances is that there is now a large population of patients living with heart failure. You may survive a heart attack but live with a damaged heart and develop heart failure. Heart failure is the condition whereby the heart is unable to pump blood effectively and therefore blood and fluids do not circulate well to all the tissues and organs of the body. It is a complication of many chronic diseases, including hypertension and diabetes. It can also be a debilitating condition which robs patients of their independence and vitality and it is expensive to treat. Symptoms of heart failure include fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling of the body.
Heart failure can be prevented by managing the underlying diseases of which it can be a complication, such as hypertension and diabetes – common conditions among our population. Early detection and careful management of these conditions can reduce the risk of developing heart failure. Screening for these conditions, and others, by getting regular checks on blood pressure, blood sugar, blood cholesterol, as well as getting regular physical checks with a doctor at your clinic or general practitioner will help you to detect problems early and start you on the road to management. All of these checks can also be done at the Heart Foundation of Jamaica.
Maintaining a regular exercise routine, sticking to the medication prescribed, and adhering to a regular schedule of monitoring will all help to prevent the development of complications such as heart failure. So, get screened, and keep the beat. Heart failure can be prevented!