February is American Heart Month

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of men and women in America. February is American heart month and Sally Jackson from Lee Memorial Health Systems joined WINK News Friday morning.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. One person dies every 40 seconds from CVD, approximately 2,150 deaths each day in the US alone.

Cardiovascular diseases claim more lives than all forms of cancer combined. 83.6 million Americans are living with some form of cardiovascular disease or the after-effects of stroke.

CVD is leading cause of disability in the US, preventing Americans from working and enjoying family activities. CVD costs the US more than $300 billion annually, including the cost of healthcare services, medication and lost productivity.

Despite what many believe, CVD claims the lives nearly 500,000 women in the US each year. In 2003, the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute took actions which eventually resulted in the development of National Wear Red Day, annually held the first Friday in February (February 6th in 2015) and the Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign.

While certain factors related to CVD cannot be controlled, such as ethnicity, heredity, etc., many factors can be, including diet, exercise, smoking and stress management.