FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — As the coronavirus pandemic continues, doctors are examining and re-examining the impacts COVID-19 has had on the heart.
February is also National Heart Health Month. Heart Disease remains the leading cause of death in the last two years despite the coronavirus.
According to the CDC, in 2021, 696,962 people died from heart disease
According to Dr. Nasser Adjei at Baptist Health, most heart disease is somewhat preventable as lifestyle plays a huge role in your health as you can help to modify your risk factors.
“90% of them can be changed by just changing our lifestyle," Dr. Adjei said.
A few ways to do this is by working out for at least 30 minutes at least five days a week. Even if it's just going on a walk. Other ways include having a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, not using tobacco and drinking enough water along with having routine checkups.
In the last two years, cardiologists have seen even more of a need for healthier lifestyles.
“We see a lot more people coming in with congestive heart failure, the reason is because they’ve had a lot of troubles they’ve attributed to COVID, of course a lot of people have come in for congestive heart failure and heart attacks," Dr. Adjei said.
In the last two years, Dr. Adjei has seen many more heart failure cases as well as heart attacks because of COVID complications and lifestyle changes.
So to prevent more people from suffering from heart disease, Dr. Adjei says don't ignore the warning signs.
“Shortness of the breath or something that you can't explain, those are the things you want to be worried about. And of course, the discomfort in the chest and I mean this, not using the term pain because it can be described in different forms and that is what we can't ignore," Dr. Adjei said.
It's important to note, signs of heart disease can be different in men and women.
“Typically men will come with heaviness and tightness in the chest and that may begin suddenly or come on and off but in women subtle changes like not having energy or tired all the time. Those can all be signs and symptoms of heart disease,” Dr. Adjei said.
It’s never too early or too late to get a checkup when it comes to heart health, it's especially encouraged if heart disease runs in your family.
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