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February 2024
Volume 10 | Issue No. 80
February is the month of red roses, lacy
cards, and heart-shaped boxes of
chocolates. Hearts are spotlighted for
another reason in February, too. It's
American Heart Month, designated to
raise awareness about the number one
killer of Americans – heart disease.
Heart Disease Facts
Heart disease, also called cardiovascular
disease, includes several types of condi-
tions. Two of the most common are coro-
nary artery disease, which is a narrowing
of the blood vessels that carry blood to the
heart, and stroke when the blood supply
to the brain is blocked or a blood vessel in
the brain bursts, causing brain tissue to die.
Per the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), one person dies every
33 seconds in the United States from car-
diovascular disease, and someone has a
heart attack every 40 seconds. Every year,
over 800,000 people experience a heart
attack (also known as a myocardial infarc-
tion or MI); 75% are first-time heart attacks,
and 25% happen to people who have al-
ready had a heart attack.
About one in five heart attacks are "silent"
– the person may not even be aware of it.
While heart disease is the leading cause
of death for Americans of all racial and
ethnic groups, Black people account for
almost one-quarter (22.6%) of all heart dis-
ease-related deaths.
Black Women are at Higher Risk – and
Racism Could Be Contributing
Black Americans are two to three times
more likely to have a stroke and 1.2 times
more likely to die of a stroke than white
Americans. Black women, in particular,
experience stroke and stroke-related
death at higher rates and earlier onset
than women in any other racial group. The
median age for having a stroke tends to
average around age 60s to 70s, but Black
women are having strokes in their 50s.
The body's physiological flight-or-fight response to stress causes increased
heart rate, constricted blood vessels, and elevated blood pressure. If
those conditions are sustained long-term, damage occurs to the heart and
vascular system, which can lead to a stroke if blood supply to the brain is
reduced or blocked.
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