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About Heart Disease

 

Heart disease and stroke are major health risks for everyone. But African Americans are at especially high risk. How high? Consider this:

  • Heart disease and stroke are the No.
    1 and No. 3 killers of African Americans.
  • Heart and blood vessel diseases (cardiovascular diseases) claim the lives of over 104,000 African
    Americans every year.

There are different types of heart disease, but the kind you need to worry about most is coronary heart disease. Your heart has arteries that bring blood to the heart muscle. These are your coronary arteries. Over time, fatty deposits called plaque can build up in the walls of these arteries, reducing the blood supply. In some people — but not everyone — this can cause chest pain called angina.

Over time, a plaque can rupture, triggering a blood clot to form. This can block blood flow to the heart muscle, causing part of it to start to die. This is a heart attack. A heart attack is an emergency; get to the hospital right away. The quicker you get treatment, the more of your heart muscle might be saved.

Overweight and obesity are major contributors to heart disease and stroke. A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to fight cardiovascular disease and it is not as hard as you may think! Remember, it's the overall pattern of your choices that counts. Stay away from fad diets and focus on making healthy and realistic decisions about what you eat every day.

 

There are many steps you can take to prevent heart disease including:

  • Exercising regularly

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  • Eating a healthy diet

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  • Quit smoking

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  • Seeing your doctor on a regular basis

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  • Take a heart disease risk assessment

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Support Us:
Fashion from the Heart is a non profit organization benefiting the African-American and Hispanic communities by highlighting
the dangers of heart disease and stroke among minority women.
To support us please call: 203-588-1870 or email: