Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Missouri and across the nation, claiming more than 15,000 lives in the state each year.
New research suggests rising rates of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes among women could drive more heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure in the decades ahead.
Dr. Karen Joynt Maddox, cardiologist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said the most common risk factor for heart disease is high blood pressure.
“The tricky thing about high blood pressure is that you can't feel it,” Joynt Maddox pointed out. “Oftentimes, people have high blood pressure for years before it's ever found. That's slightly less true in women, because women are more likely to go to the doctor for other reasons.”
Joynt Maddox noted many heart attacks and strokes can be prevented through regular screenings, early treatment of conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, and healthy habits like eating well and staying active.
The American Heart Association warned six in 10 women could be affected by cardiovascular disease within the next 25 years. Joynt Maddox explained that the aging of the baby boomer generation is a major factor behind the trend.
“At both ends of the spectrum, we have to figure out how to manage the really complex situations where there's a lot going on, and we have to make sure that we focus on young people to prevent them from eventually having these same problems at even younger ages,” Joynt Maddox urged.
Health experts said that, in addition to monitoring blood pressure, keeping track of cholesterol and blood sugar levels can help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Missouri News Service, a partner with KRCU Public Radio, originally published this story.
