Take a moment to answer these questions regarding risk factors that may increase your chances for having heart disease:

• Do you have diabetes? 
  
  
• Do you smoke? 
  
  
• Do you have high blood pressure? 
  
  
• Do you have high blood cholesterol? 
  
  
• Do you get less than 150 minutes of physical activity each week?
  
  
• Are you overweight or obese? 
  
  
• Do you eat fruits, vegetables or beans fewer than five times a day?

If your response to just one of the above questions is yes, you may be at risk of heart disease.  More than one?  You may be at higher risk.   It is never too late to begin or to echarge your efforts to reduce your risks for heart disease. 

Nearly one in four deaths in North Carolina can be attributed to heart disease.  Add cerebrovascular disease, or stroke, and this number increases to almost three out of 10.

Cardiovascular disease includes heart disease, stroke, other diseases of the circulatory system and congenital cardiovascular defects. While heart disease and stroke, respectively, comprised the second and fourth leading causes of death in our state in 2012, total cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death in 2012, claiming more lives than cancer. 

Responses to North Carolina’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System highlight the need for significant improvement.  For instance, 86.3 percent of North Carolinians consume fewer than five servings of fruits, vegetables or beans per day; 65.8 percent are overweight or obese; 26.7 percent have not exercised in the past 30 days; 32.4 percent have high blood pressure; 20.9 percent are smokers; and 10.4 percent have diabetes.  

A number of individuals and programs continue to work across the state to make North Carolina a more “heart healthy and stroke free state” through the promotion of individual behavior changes; improved and more accessible health care services; and healthier places to work, play, and pray.

North Carolina has set a goal of dropping our state’s cardiovascular disease mortality rate per 100,000 population from 237.2 (2012) to 161.5 by 2020.  Achieving this goal will require individuals, health care providers, and other groups from across the state to work together to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.  So, based on your responses to the questions at the beginning of this article, is it time for you to act?  

Prevention

While heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, it is preventable and controllable. Here are the top tips for staying heart healthy:

• Eat a healthy diet. Choose healthful meal and snack options. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol and high in fiber. Limit salt or sodium to help lower your blood pressure.
  
  
• Maintain a healthy weight.  Being overweight or obese can increase your risk for heart disease. 
  
  
• Exercise regularly. Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
  
  
• Monitor your blood pressure. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, so be sure to have it checked on a regular basis.
  
  
• Do not smoke. Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for heart disease. If you do not smoke, do not start. If you do smoke, quit as soon as possible.
  
  
• Limit alcohol use. Avoid drinking too much alcohol, which can increase your blood pressure. Men should stick to no more than two drinks per day, women, no more than one.
  
  
• Have your cholesterol checked. Your health care provider should test your cholesterol levels at least once every five years.
  
  
• Manage your diabetes. If you have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar levels closely, and talk with your doctor about treatment options.
  
  
• Take your medicine. If you are taking medication to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes, follow your doctor’s instructions carefully.
  
  

Symptoms

• Chest pain or discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
  
  
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
  
  
• Shortness of breath. Often comes along with chest discomfort, but it also can occur before chest discomfort.
  
  
• Other symptoms may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or light-headedness.

If you think that you or someone you know is having a heart attack, you should call 911 immediately.