Prevent Heart Disease By Knowing Your Body

Heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading causes of death, claiming more than 17 million lives each year, and the numbers continue to rise. Often times, patients focus on chest pain as the primary symptom for heart disease, but in reality, patients should be aware of a myriad of possible symptoms and should discuss any concerns with their physician.

Help your doctor, help you.

Be open and honest with your doctor, no concern is too minor to discuss. Through open communication, your doctor can offer the right cardiovascular treatment for your condition.  

Below are 10 possible heart disease symptoms you should never ignore:

1. Anxiety
2. Chest discomfort
3. Cough
4. Dizziness
5. Fatigue
6. Irregular pulse
7. Shortness of breath
8. Swelling
9. Weakness
10. Loss of appetite

Follow these five proactive steps to keep open communication with your doctor :  

1. Stress: When you are experiencing irregular stress, your body may hold extra adrenaline that can stimulate the heart and cause it to skip beats creating increased palpitations. It’s important to let your doctor know if you are anxious or stressed about any particular issue.
2. Exercise: The health benefits of daily exercise are well known. But sometimes even if you exercise daily, you may experience chest pains. It’s important to alert your doctor if this happens. It could be a matter of less strenuous exercise or many other factors.  
3. It happens to best of us: If you skipped a dose of your medication, don’t worry, just remember to take it the next time. Just let your doctor know that you may have missed a dose or two.  It may make a difference in how your test results look.
4. Vitamins and supplements: Herbal remedies and supplements are great for some medical issues, but could potentially impact your cardiovascular health. Let your doctor know if you are or plan to take vitamins and other supplements.

Preventing heart disease begins by knowing your body and your risk factors. Are you a smoker? Are you overweight or obese? Do heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure run in your family? The more risk factors you have, the more important it is to build a relationship with a cardiologist.  Call 904.493.3333 to schedule an appointment with a member of our team.