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A Heart Warning Story America's deadliest illness is also one of it's most preventable - here's how to take charge of your cardiovascular health today 
Barbara Hunt and Carolyn Reuther live a thousand miles apart and have never met, but in 2007 and 2008, respectively, they received the same devastating news with similar reactions. Told they had heart disease, these otherwise healthy women were stunned almost to the point of disbelief. Both are active and physically fit, choose healthy foods, and have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Neither smokes. "I was in shock. I don't have any of the risk factors," says Reuther, a two-time heart attack survivor. Heart disease, an umbrella term for a number of cardiovascular ailments, is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. In 2005, heart disease killed 652,091 people in the U.S. alone, according to the federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "It kills more people than the next top five killer diseases combined," says Hunt's cardiologist, Dr. Michael Goodwin, Midwest Heart Specialists, Naperville, Ill. Surviving a heart attack often depends on taking immediate action when symptoms arise; however, in a 2005 survey, most people (92 percent) recognized chest pain as a heart attack symptom, but only 27 percent correctly identified all symptoms and knew to seek immediate medical attention when they arose, according to the CDC. Those other symptoms include pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck, back, arm or shoulder; feeling weak or light-headed; and shortness of breath. While Reuther had the telltale chest pain, Hunt's initial symptoms were vague. Neither sought immediate medical attention, partly because each was engaging in an activity they thought might be the sole cause of their physical discomfort. Hunt had just hiked to the top of a mountain. Reuther was at her father's graveside services. The bugler was starting to play "Taps." "That's when the classic elephant-on-the-chest pain began," says Reuther, 60, of Charleston, S.C. Ironically, when Reuther sought medical help an hour or so later, tests that should have pointed to heart trouble came back negative and she was sent home with anti-anxiety pills. It wasn't until she had her second heart attack two years later, at age 59, that further testing revealed she'd already had one. Jaw, back and neck pain, along with dizziness and nausea, sent her to the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital the second time, when doctors found blockages in the arteries leading to her heart. She is on medication and undergoing cardiovascular rehabilitation, including a supervised exercise regimen, in hopes of preventing a third attack. Hunt's initial symptoms were mild compared with Reuther's but no less of a red flag. In February 2007, to celebrate Valentine's Day with her husband, she hiked up a mountain in Palm Springs, Calif., and felt tired and winded. Fifty-nine at the time, Hunt attributed her fatigue to growing older; however, as a precaution, when she returned home to Aurora, Ill., she scheduled a heart scan at Edward Heart Hospital in nearby Naperville because heart disease runs in her family. Her dad had a heart attack while playing church league baseball and died at the age of 38. Her brother's third heart attack killed him at age 43, and another brother died at age 62 after several previous attacks. Hunt's heart scan showed a buildup of calcium, and though she had not suffered an actual heart attack like her father and brothers, she had to have triple bypass surgery followed by cardiovascular rehabilitation. Except for family history, other major risk factors for heart disease - smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity and high body mass index (or BMI, a formula to assess a person's body weight relative to height) - are modifiable, says Dr. Jennifer Peura, assistant professor of medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. Diabetes is another major risk factor that can be controlled through proper treatment. Studies among people without heart disease have shown that lowering high cholesterol and high blood pressure can reduce the risk of developing heart disease. And studies among people with heart disease have shown that lowering high cholesterol and high blood pressure can reduce the risk of dying, having a non-fatal heart attack and needing bypass surgery or angioplasty. Although Hunt and Reuther both got heart disease despite healthy eating habits, generally speaking, "Diet is the cornerstone of prevention," says Christine Palumbo, a Naperville-based dietician. It's a key part of treatment, too, along with weight control, stress management and increased physical activity, she adds. "There is research dating back to the 1970s that shows diet can reverse the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle," Palumbo says, adding that a number of her clients no longer need blood pressure and cholesterol-lowering medications after improving their eating habits. A heart-healthy diet includes plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna. A healthy eater by habit, Hunt allowed herself a poolside margarita in Phoenix in February 2008 to celebrate Valentine's Day, the holiday of hearts, and, more important, her health. It was there in Phoenix, a year after her trip to Palm Springs and nine months after her bypass surgery, that Hunt hiked up another mountain - with happier results. "It was like a victory lap," she says. "It was exhilarating." |
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