28 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 3, 2022 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Go Red
Five ways to reclaim your physical and mental rhythm
COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN
HEART ASSOCIATION
Th e American Heart Association and
its Go Red for Women movement are
helping women create healthy habits that
work best for their life, to give them the
best chance at life because losing even one
mom, sister, friend, or neighbor to cardiovascular
American Heart Association puts spotlight on pregnancy and heart health
COURTESY OF THE AMERICAN
HEART ASSOCIATION
Complications during pregnancy are
widespread, becoming more common
and oft en overlooked as warning signs
about a woman’s heart health.
Which is why for the fi rst time, in an
eff ort to guide clinicians and empower
women, the authors of a widely used reference
on the facts and fi gures surrounding
cardiovascular diseases are including
information on adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Pregnancy has been termed a window
into the future of a woman’s cardiovascular
health, said Dr. Sadiya S. Khan,
an assistant professor of medicine and
preventive medicine at Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine
in Chicago. “It’s nature’s stress test. And it
is such an important time period for both
mom and child.”
Khan served on the writing committee
for the American Heart Association’s statistical
update published Wednesday in its
journal Circulation. Th e annually revised
work, compiled in conjunction with the
National Institutes of Health, summarizes
the latest, most signifi cant data on heart
disease, stroke and related conditions.
Adding a chapter on pregnancy complications
puts that issue “front and center,”
said Dr. Salim Virani, chair of the report’s
writing committee and a professor of cardiology
and cardiovascular research at
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Th e goal is to gain valuable years in the
fi ght against heart disease in women and
their children – and to help women work
with their health care team to make sure
they’re getting the treatment they need.
Khan said that in young women with no
apparent signs of heart disease, pregnancy
is a “unique and natural time” to unmask
hidden risk for heart disease. “During
pregnancy, your weight changes. Your
blood pressure may change. Your glucose
levels may change. And so the combined
cardiometabolic
stress test
of pregnancy can
be really informative
and guide
interventions to
reduce risk for
heart disease.”
Complications
such as preeclampsia
(a pregnancy-related condition
defi ned by high blood pressure
and organ damage), gestational
diabetes (diabetes that
arises during pregnancy), gestational
hypertension (high
blood pressure that arises during
pregnancy), and preterm
and underweight babies can
be warning signs for later
heart disease, strokes and
heart failure.
“You can identify these
high-risk women early on,”
Virani said. “Th en you have
opportunities to work on
their risk factors, whether they are seen
by a primary care clinician or by their
OB-GYN.”
Among the statistics highlighted in the
new chapter:
– Rates of blood pressure-related complications
in pregnancy almost doubled
in the U.S. between 1993 and 2014, from
528.9 per 10,000 births in hospitals to
912.4.
– Th e frequency of gestational diabetes
hit 6% in 2016, up 0.4% from four years
earlier.
– Cardiovascular deaths are the most
common cause of maternal deaths – at
26.5%.
– Black women face a risk of dying
during or soon aft er pregnancy that’s 2.5
times greater than white women and three
times greater than Hispanic women.
Overall, 10% to 20% of women will
have some kind of health issue during
pregnancy. And the problems don’t end
once the pregnancy does. According to
studies cited in the guide:
– High blood pressure that develops
during pregnancy was associated with
a 67% higher risk of later cardiovascular
disease.
– Preeclampsia was associated with a
75% higher risk of later death from cardiovascular
disease.
– Th e odds of cardiovascular disease
in women who had gestational diabetes
was 68% higher compared with those
who did not.
Paying attention to such issues could
make a diff erence in the health of huge
numbers of women, Virani said.
In practical terms, pregnancy
off ers a chance to reach
women while they are sure to
be in contact with a clinician,
he said. For clinicians, it’s a
potential teachable moment
for explaining a woman’s risk
for future problems and “why
it is important for you to
take care of yourself with
good lifestyle going forward.”
Th e information is not
just for medical experts,
Khan said. “One of the reasons
that we were so interested
in bringing this data to
the statistical update was to
enhance awareness and help to
empower women in regards to
their own health – prior to pregnancy,
during pregnancy, and
immediately following pregnancy.”
Many women see an OB-GYN for
most of their medical care, and messages
about heart health can get lost
in the transition when that phase of
their lives ends, she and Virani said.
So women should make sure information
about pregnancy complications
is shared among their doctors.
“It doesn’t have to be the clinician who
always brings it up,” Virani said. A woman
can say, “I had high blood pressure during
pregnancy. Sure, my blood pressure
has come down – but what should I do
now so my risk of developing high blood
pressure or cardiovascular disease in the
future goes down?”
Khan said the new chapter serves an
important role in raising awareness at a
time when fewer women are aware that
heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women
in America. “I do think that that is a really
important part of really connecting with
women and identifying these risk factors
and fi nding a way to change future
cardiovascular health for women and for
their children.”
disease is one too many.
With everything that’s happened in the
last two years, even those people who normally
focus on their health have lost their
rhythm. CVD is still the greatest health
threat, but COVID – and all the complexity
of life because of it - remains top
of mind. People are experiencing lower
physical and emotional wellness. And,
heart disease deaths rose signifi cantly
last year.
Now’s the time to Reclaim Your
Rhythm and take back control of
your physical health and mental
well-being. Here are fi ve ways to
reclaim your rhythm:
Mellow out and
reduce stress
Stress leads to
unhealthy habits like
overeating, physical
inactivity, smoking
and risk factors for
heart disease and stroke
like high blood pressure,
and depression or anxiety.
Move to the music
Physical activity is linked to lower
risk of diseases, stronger bones
and muscles, improved mental
health and cognitive function
and lower risk of depression.
Feed your soul,
rock Your recipes
Eat meals together as a
family for a chance to connect
and decompress.
Regular meals at home with
family reduce stress, boost
self-esteem and make the
whole family feel connected.
Stay on beat with
blood pressure
High blood pressure is a leading cause
and controllable risk factor for heart disease
and stroke and can contribute to
worse outcomes for people who contract
COVID-19.
Learn Hands-Only CPR
When a person has a cardiac arrest,
survival depends on immediately
receiving CPR from someone nearby.
Help your community reclaim their
rhythm by learning the 2 simple steps
of Hands-Only CPR: Call 911, then
press hard and fast in the center of the
chest.
Photo via Getty Images To learn more, visit www.heart.org
Photo via Getty Images
/www.heart.org
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