February-Heart Health Month

February: A Month for Love- and for Loving Your Heart.

February is a month we associate love, connection, and Valentines Day.  We focus on caring for partners, family, and friends but one of the most important relationships we have is the one with our own health. Loving yourself means taking care of the heart that shows up for you every single day. Heart disease does not usually announce itself with warning signs. It develops quietly over years while life stays busy. Choosing to learn your numbers, understand your risk and prioritize prevention is one of the most meaningful acts of self-care you can make.

This February consider a different kind of Valentine's commitment:

·       Know your own blood pressure.

·       Understand your cholesterol and advanced heart labs.

·       Pay attention to your heart rate stress and sleep.

·       Invest in prevention not just treatment.

At Grove Family Health we believe heart health is not about fear it is about empowerment. When you take time to care for your heart now, you're investing in more years of energy, independence and time with the ones you love.

Heart disease is often thought of as something that happens later or to other people, but data from the American Heart Association tells us a different story.

·       Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States responsible for about one in every five deaths each year.

·       Half of US adults, about 47% have at least one major cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes obesity or smoking.

·       High blood pressure affects 120 million adults in the US and many are either undiagnosed or inadequately treated.

·       About one in three adults have high LDL cholesterol yet many are unaware because it often causes no symptoms.

·       Lipoprotein (a) is elevated in up to 20% of the population significantly increasing heart attack and stroke risk yet it's rarely tested.

·       Cardiovascular disease often begins decades before symptoms occur with plaque formation starting as early as young adulthood

More importantly, up to 80% of cardiovascular disease is preventable through early detection, lifestyle changes and appropriate medical management. This is why knowing your numbers and understanding what they mean is so critical.

At Grove Family Health, we believe heart disease prevention shouldn't start after a problem occurs. Many heart attacks and strokes happened to people who felt “fine” and had never been told they were high risk.

At Grove Family Health, labs are not just numbers on a page they are tools to help us understand your personal cardiovascular risk and guide prevention long before disease develops. The following is a closer look at the most important heart related information and what they can tell us.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure measures the force of blood against the walls of your arteries. Chronically elevated blood pressure causes gradual damage to blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and heart failure. 

Your systolic pressure (the number on the top) Is the pressure when the heart contracts. Your diastolic pressure (the number on the bottom) is the pressure when the heart relaxes.  We like to focus on trends not just single readings and consider factors like stress, sleep, caffeine, medications, and home blood pressure measurements to get the most accurate picture. And if you have a blood pressure cuff at home it is good to monitor it and keep a log to review with the provider.

Heart Rate

Your heart rate is how hard your heart must work to meet your body's needs. When the cardiovascular system is working efficiently the heart does not need to beat as often at rest. A healthy heart should beat between 60-90 beats per minute at rest.  A persistently elevated heart rate above 90 beats per minute at rest has been associated with higher risk of heart disease, increased risk of heart attack and stroke and overall higher mortality rates.

Standard Lipid Panel

A traditional lipid panel includes:

·       Total cholesterol which is your overall cholesterol level and should be under 200

·       LDL cholesterol which is often referred to as the “bad cholesterol” delivers cholesterol to tissues however with excess it contributes to plaque formation in your vessels, this number should be under 100.

·       HDL cholesterol which is often referred to as the “good cholesterol” is what helps remove cholesterol from the bloodstream. The higher this number the better.

·       Triglycerides are a type of fat influenced by diet, insulin resistance, and alcohol. Triglyceride levels should be under 150

This panel is a useful starting point but does not always reflect the number of cholesterol particles or your genetic risk for heart disease.  There are two other markers they aren't always ordered but can be very useful tool when assessing your risk factor for heart disease.

Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) Measure is the number of plaque forming particles in the blood including LDL. Each of these particles carry 1 ApoB molecule, making ApoB a direct measurement of how many particles can penetrate your artery walls.  This matters because the higher the ApoB levels the higher the cardiovascular risk. This can be especially helpful in patients with metabolic syndrome and diabetes and helps guide treatment decisions. This level can be modified with lifestyle modifications and medications when necessary. Less than 90mg/d is ideal for most people however if you have stronger risk factors the lower the better.

Lipoprotein (a) is the cholesterol particle that includes additional protein called apolipoprotein (a). Elevated lipoprotein (a) promotes inflammation and plaque formation and increases clot risk. Lipoprotein (a) is genetically determined and not significantly lowered by diet and exercise. Because this number is set at birth and stays very stable throughout life you really only need to have this checked once in a lifetime. This number should be<30mg/dl.  If it is >50 mg/dl you are considered high risk. 

Rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all Grove Family Health understand every individual is different and we use these numbers to identify risks before symptoms appear. We personalize lifestyle and treatment plans and focus on moderate improvement over time not just once a year. We like to empower patients with clear explanations and shared decision making. This heart month take time to understand your numbers and partner with Grove family health because we take time to understand you and allow for communication and collaboration of your care.

‍