Every 33 seconds someone in the U.S. dies of cardiovascular disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And yet, many of us would be unable to recognise the early warning signs of this disease, or know who might be at risk.
To debunk some of the most common myths around heart disease, Newsweek spoke with Harvard cardiologist and Brigham and Women's Hospital physician, Dr. Haider Warraich.
Can You Feel High Blood Pressure?
"One important thing to remember is that many of the risk factors for heart disease can be completely silent," Warraich, author of the book State of the Heart, told Newsweek. "Things like high cholesterol and diabetes can cause no symptoms all the way up to when someone might have a heart attack or some other emergency.
"While many might believe that they can 'feel' their blood pressure, fact is that for the vast majority, high blood pressure causes no symptoms, and would be totally missed unless one gets it checked."
High blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking are all key risk factors for heart disease, as are an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption and obesity. And, contrary to popular belief, heart disease is not only a male issue.
Does Heart Disease Mainly Affect Men?
"Many don't know this but the most common cause of death amongst women is also heart disease," Warraich said. "In fact, when women do have heart attacks, they are more likely to suffer a bad outcome than men, in part because either they themselves or their medical team might not take their symptoms seriously. Women need to pay as close attention to their heart health as men."
Is Chest Pain the Only Symptom of Heart Attacks?
When it comes to heart attacks, knowing the symptoms can help you get early treatment to minimize the damage caused to the heart muscle and maximize your chances of recovery. "Heart disease can lead to a series of very common symptoms beyond just pain in the chest," Warraich said. "First of all, many people who have a heart attack say they feel a pressure in the chest rather than pain. Pain that radiates to the arms can also be concerning for a heart attack as well."
Heart attack symptoms may also vary between men and women. For example, according to the CDC, women may also experience feelings of nausea, light-headedness or fatigue.
Lastly, we need to choose carefully about who we listen to for education and advice on heart health. "There is a lot of misinformation about heart health and heart medications like statins on the internet, spread mostly by people who often have an ulterior motive," Warraich said. "While there are many benefits to seeking health information, including from the internet, care needs to be taken to use trustworthy and reliable sources, and to discuss everything openly with the medical team.
"Modern medicine means that many if not most cases of heart disease are preventable. And even if someone has developed heart disease, including serious conditions like heart failure, they can still live a long life and be able to do the things they love as long as they work closely with their medical team."
Is there a health problem that's worrying you? Do you have a question about heart disease? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Pandora Dewan is a Senior Science Reporter at Newsweek based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on science, health ... Read more
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