Heart Disease
WHAT IS HEART DISEASE?
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Every 39 seconds an adult dies of a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular disease.
The term heart disease refers to several different types of heart conditions. Two most common reasons people have heart disease are high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
HEART DISEASE IN OKLAHOMA
The map below shows that Oklahoma ranks among the highest for deaths related to heart disease each year.
The number of deaths related to heart disease can be attributed to an increase in the number of Oklahomans who are overweight and obese. Oklahoma has the biggest increase in those with obesity than any other state in the country. The number of people who are obese in the state of Oklahoma has increased by 18.5% in the past 15 years. Fifteen years ago only 12.9% of Oklahomans were obese. Now the obesity rate has almost tripled with over 31% of Oklahomans classified as obese.
LOWERING YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE
People who already have heart disease can lower their risk of having a heart attack or heart surgery. Studies show that by lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure you will also lower the risk of:
- Having a heart attack
- Dying from a heart attack
- Needing heart surgery
- And if you don’t have heart disease, you will lower your risk of developing it
If people with high blood pressure and cholesterol had better access to medical care and went to their doctor on a regular basis more than 100,000 lives could be saved each year.
Over 80% of people suffering from high blood pressure or high cholesterol actually have health insurance, but for many reasons do not have regular check ups or don’t take their prescribed medication.