You Won Her Heart, Now Take Care of Yours

From the Winter 2012 StayHealthy publication

So you’ve found someone who makes your heart skip a beat. Now what? Sharing your heart means caring for yourself as well as your loved ones, doing all you can to live healthy and happily ever after.

Yet sadly, according to the American Heart Association, heart disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women. “But there’s so much good news when it comes to our hearts,” said Allen Miller, Director of Porter’s Cardiology Service Line. “In fact, heart disease is largely preventable because so many risk factors are within our control. In many ways, our hearts are in our own hands,” he added.

Yet many people don’t make heart healthy changes in time because they don’t know they’re at risk. “For instance, If you quit smoking, you can cut your risk for heart disease by up to 75 percent. Getting your blood pressure under control or reducing your cholesterol are also great ways of improving your heart health,” said Miller. “Every day we meet people who are surprised by the results of heart tests. They’re surprised to learn they have problems with their blood pressure, their arteries, their cholesterol or other parts of their cardiovascular system. We often think that if we don’t have chest pain, we’re heart healthy. Yet we’ve learned that close to half of us are missing opportunities to improve our heart health because of undiagnosed conditions.”

Your life depends on it, but how much do you really know about your heart?

Take our heart smart quiz to learn more about this vital life-support system.

1. What is meant by the term myocardial infarction?

• a. Infection of the heart
  
• b. Heart attack
  
• c. Heart rhythm problem
  
• d. All of the above
  

2. A sudden cardiac arrest means the heart has…

• a. Slowed down
  
• b. Developed an irregular rhythm
  
• c. Stopped beating
  
• d. Increased in size
  

3. Which of the following are symptoms of heart disease or heart attack?

• a. Dizziness
  
• b. Chest pain
  
• c. Jaw pain
  
• d. Nausea or vomiting
  
• e. Fatigue
  
• f. All of the above
  

4.Which of the following increase your risk for heart attack?

• a. High blood pressure
  
• b. High cholesterol
  
• c. Smoking
  
• d. Sedentary lifestyle
  
• e. Obesity
  
• f. High-fat diet
  
• g. Emotional stress
  
• h. Family history
  

5. Being diagnosed with peripheral vascular disease (PAD) also indicates added risk for heart attack.

• a. True
  
• b. False
  

6. What is the leading cause of death among American women over the age of 25?

• a. Breast cancer
  
• b. Uterine cancer
  
• c. Lung cancer
  
• d. Cardiovascular disease
  

7. "Heart failure" means the heart has stopped working.

• a. True
• b. False

8. Atrial fibrillation (or “A-Fib”) is characterized by

• a. Abnormal blood pressure
  
• b. Abnormal cholesterol
  
• c. Abnormal heartbeat
  
• d. None of the above
  

9. The most common type of heart disease in the U.S. is:

• a. Arrhythmia
  
• b. Angina
  
• c. Coronary artery disease
  
• d. Carotid artery disease
  

10. When you sense heart trouble, how much time can you safely wait before getting help?

• a. No time. Act immediately!
  
• b. 30-60 minutes
  
• c. 60-90 minutes
  
• d. Up to two hours
  

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