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HomeMemberHelpful ToolsHealth ResourcesHeart Disease

Heart Disease Resources

People of all ages need to keep their heart healthy. Eating well, exercising regularly, and seeing your health care provider can help you keep your heart healthy. Work with your healthcare provider and adopt good lifestyle habits to help lower the risk of heart disease.

Heart disease describes conditions related to plaque building up in the walls of the arteries. Other conditions include arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythms), congenital heart failure, and heart valve problems.

What is your risk?

Heart disease can happen to anyone, including children. You can be born with it, and a family history of heart disease may increase your risk.

Most heart disease develops over time due to poor habits such as smoking or eating an unhealthy diet. Having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes also increases your risk of heart disease. Talk with your provider about ways to prevent or manage diabetes and control other risk factors.

What is a good resting heart rate?

A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). Remember, factors such as age, physical activity, and overall health can affect what is considered your normal resting heart rate.

Talk to your provider if you have concerns about your heart rate.

How does high blood pressure affect heart health?

The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Causes for high blood pressure include:

  • Diabetes
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Smoking
  • Not getting enough regular physical activity
  • Unhealthy diets, including high amounts of sodium and alcohol

Talk to your provider about how you can lower your blood pressure to help avoid heart disease and stroke.

How can you lower your risk of heart disease?
• Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, poultry, and fish; avoid having too much salt or sugar
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise at least 150 minutes per week
• Keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar at a healthy level
• Don’t smoke or use any tobacco products
• Follow your doctor’s recommendations
Can heart disease be treated?
Yes. Talk to your provider about how to safely reduce the risk of heart disease. You can also talk about setting goals for a healthier heart. Your provider may also prescribe medication.
What are symptoms of a heart attack?

A heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is severely reduced or blocked. Be aware of the following symptoms:

  • Fatigue
  • Cold sweat
  • Nausea
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Pain in the jaw, neck, arms, shoulder, or back

Call 911 if you or someone you know is having a heart attack.

What can cause Congestive Heart Failure?

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a chronic condition that makes it harder for your heart to pump blood and meet your body's needs. The following factors may increase your risk of CHF:

  • Diabetes
  • High cholesterol levels
  • High blood pressure
  • Poor diet
  • Not getting enough physical activity
  • Smoking and/or using tobacco
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Stress

Talk to your provider to learn more about CHF.

What can cause heart arrhythmia?

A heart arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. Factors that may cause arrhythmia include:

  • Blood sugar levels that are too low or too high
  • Caffeine, illegal drugs, and certain medications
  • Dehydration
  • Low levels of electrolytes, such as potassium, magnesium, or calcium
  • Physical activity
  • Strong emotional stress or anxiety
  • Vomiting or coughing
  • Smoke
  • Use illegal drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines
  • Drink alcohol more often and more than is recommended (no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women)
  • Take certain antibiotics and over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines

Talk to your provider about how to prevent arrhythmias.

Here are some resources to help you prevent or manage heart disease:

 

Managing Blood Pressure Flyer

American Heart Association

 High Blood Pressure Resources Page (CDC)

Heart Health Articles and Videos (Healthwise)

 

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Vaccines Offer Protection to All Ages
8/1/2023 • Posted by Dr. Sharon McLaughlin, Medical Director

Vaccines play a crucial role in protecting against severe illnesses and reducing their spread across communities.

Childhood immunizations protect against serious diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, polio, Hepatitis A and B, and more. These vaccines protect children and allow them to enter into adulthood with less risk of serious health complications.

Vaccines also play an important part in our ongoing health into adulthood and our golden years. According to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), everyone should stay up to date on these routine vaccines:

  • COVID-19 vaccine
  • Flu vaccine (influenza)
  • Tdap vaccine (includes tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough) or Td vaccine (tetanus and diphtheria)

You may need other vaccines, too. This will be based on your age, health conditions, lifestyle, and travel needs. In addition, you should talk to your doctor if you aren’t sure if you received all your childhood vaccines, such as the varicella vaccine, which prevents chickenpox, or the HPV vaccine, which protects against human papillomavirus.

Depending on your age and where you grew up, some childhood vaccines may not have been administered to you when you were younger. Even if you didn’t get the vaccine when you were a child, you still are at risk. The diseases that vaccines protect against can lead to adverse health conditions, missed work, financial burdens, and the inability to provide care for loved ones. Some of these diseases can cause even more harm to you when you are an adult.

Visit fideliscare.org/immunizations for a complete list of childhood and adolescent vaccinations.

There are additional vaccines to protect older adults because our  immune system weakens as we age increasing the risk of infection. They are:

  • Shingles vaccine (zoster): Get this vaccine at age 50. It prevents shingles and the most common complication, post-herpetic neuralgia.
  • Pneumococcal vaccine: Get this vaccine at age 65. It protects against various infections, including pneumonia, and is particularly important for individuals with certain medical conditions.

Ensure you are up to date with your vaccines to stay in good health and protect those around you.

https://www.cdc.gov/pneumococcal/about/risk-transmission.html

https://www.cdc.gov/shingles/multimedia/shringrix-50-older.html#:~:text=If%20you're%2050%20or,complications%20increases%20as%20you%20age.