SALEM, Va. – Heart disease is the number one cause of death for men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During American Heart Month, 10 News spoke with a local cardiologist about how you can protect yourself.
Lewis Gale Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Owusu Asamoah said some of the top heart problems he sees are heart attacks, strokes and peripheral vascular disease. He said peripheral vascular disease is when you don’t get enough blood to different parts of your body.
Asamoah explained that there are different signs that you need to pay attention to and they are not always what you think.
“Signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease can be numerous, and most of the time, they are very nonspecific and very vague. What we mostly think about is chest pain—the elephant sitting in on your chest—but that is not always the typical presentation,” said Asamoah.
Asamoah noted that some symptoms can include lack of energy or fatigue.
“Getting short-winded very easily, lightheadedness, feeling faint or actually passing out, in addition to any more disease. In some patients, all they may have is just swelling in their feet [and] gaining weight. So cardiovascular symptoms can be very numerous,” said Asamoah.
Asamoah said if you have any of these symptoms talk with your primary care physician.
“I would say you shouldn’t wait a long time. With every medical condition, the earlier you diagnose it the better it is for the patient, the better the outcome,” said Asamoah.
Asamoah told us that he sees about 26 patients each week, with Lewis Gale seeing about 300 people each week.
According to Asamoah, there are many preventative methods.
“The good thing is about 90% of cardiovascular diseases are preventable. I would say cardiovascular diseases just don’t come overnight,” said Asamoah.
He said there are some basic things people can do like exercising. Asamoah said someone should walk at least 20 minutes a day or at least walk about 10,000 steps every day at least five days a week.
He also said watch what you’re eating.
“So less fried, less red, more greens. Those sorts of meals can help reduce your cardiovascular risks and obviously, not smoking is a big one because if you take smoking alone, smoking alone can increase someone’s chances of cardiovascular disease significantly,” said Asamoah.
