More than 2,600

Americans die of CVD each day an average of 1 death every 33 seconds!

CVD claims almost 10,500 more lives each year than the next 6 leading

causes of death combined. More than 150,000 killed by CVD are under age

65.

In 1998, of

the total number of CVD deaths, 46.9 percent were male and 53.1 percent

were female. (Women no longer have the luxury of believing that CVD is

something that only males have to worry about!)

Since 1900,

CVD has been the No. 1 killer in the U.S. every year except the year 1918.

Statistics

are sometimes better understood when compared to something else. For example,

the most recent CDC/NCHS computations state that if all forms of CVD were

eliminated, life expectancy would increase by almost 7 years.

Now compare

this to only 3 years gain in life expectancy if all forms of cancer were

eliminated. This comparison brings into sharp focus how serious a threat

CVD poses to each of us.

The threat

is even greater for African Americans, whose estimated age-adjusted prevalence

of CVD in adults is 40.5 percent for males and 39.6 percent for females,

as opposed to prevalence of 30.0 percent for males and 23.8 percent for

females of non-Hispanic white ethnicity.

If we are to

effect any positive change in the rate at which Americans fall victim

to this disease, individuals must:

Become aware

of their risk factors;

Change some

behaviors to reflect more healthy lifestyle choices (particularly healthy

eating, exercise, and smoking cessation);

Learn the

warning signs of heart attack and stroke; and

Learn CPR.

The most common

warning signs of heart attack are:

- Uncomfortable

pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting

more than a few minutes.

- Pain

spreading to the shoulders, neck, (jaw) or arms.

- Chest

discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness

of breath. Less common warning signs are:

-

Chest pain, stomach or abdominal pain that feels abnormal for you.

- Nausea

or dizziness.

- Shortness

of breath and difficulty breathing.

- Unexplained

anxiety, weakness or fatigue.

- Palpitations,

cold sweat or paleness.

Stroke warning

signs include:

- Sudden

numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of

the body.

- Sudden

confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.

- Sudden

trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.

- Sudden

severe headache with no known cause.

Cardiac arrest

is usually sudden and dramatic. The hearts electrical impulses become

erratic, and its beating becomes more of a quivering or fluttering (ventricular

fibrillation), which causes the heart to stop suddenly.

During the

arrest the victim loses consciousness, stops normal breathing and loses

pulse and blood pressure. Drowning, electrocution, trauma, and heart attack

are some of the factors that can lead to cardiac arrest, but in some cases

the actual cause is unknown.

The person

who has witnessed a cardiac arrest, or who is experiencing signs of impending

heart attack must think and act quickly. Call 9-1-1 immediately!

As calmly as

possible, state your name, your location, and state what you have witnessed,

or what you are experiencing. If you are a witness, you can then go back

to the victim and assist.

Lastly, be

trained to administer CPR. It may seem to some that CPR is too little

too late, or that it is too difficult for non-medical people to learn.

The facts are

that CPR can help keep the victim who is in cardiac arrest alive until

medical help arrives. It can keep blood and oxygen flowing to the brain

and heart until electric shock (defibrillation) can be administered.

A person administering

CPR may literally be giving the gift of life! I urge you to learn this

valuable life-saving technique and consider it a gift in advance to someone

you love.

The American

Red Cross will be sponsoring CPR this Saturday at the Lafayette Education

Center, and on that day participants will receive what is normally a $30

training absolutely free! The training takes four hours, and it is suggested

that you wear comfortable clothing.

Anyone age

12 and above is encouraged to participate, and will receive a certificate

upon completion of training. Stop by the Health Department and pick up

a CPR Saturday flyer for more information. Or you may contact the So.

Metro Service Center of the American Red Cross at: 770-961-2552.

For those who

would prefer: you can register for this training online by going to www.redcross/atlanta/

and clicking on the icon for CPR Saturday.

For further

information on cardiovascular disease, risk factors, disease prevention,

and ways of increasing cardiovascular health, stop by the Fayette County

Health Department,visit our Web site at www.fayettecountyhealthdepartment.org ,

or contact us by phone at 770-461-1178 ext. 5416.

*Statistics

obtained from: 2001 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update, American Heart

Association.

Heart-related

Web sites

www.americanheart.org

www.health.gov/nhic

www.ph.dhr.state.ga.us/epi/chronic.shtml

www.healthy.net

www.cdc.gov

www.wehealny.org/index1.shtml

www.ama-assn.org

https://women.americanheart.org

https://women.americanheart.org

www.mayohealth.org/home