American Heart Month 2023

Posted by seancorning on February 1st, 2023 Posted in: Blog

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Every year the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) organizes American Heart Month to raise awareness of the importance of heart health in preventing heart disease. Heart disease is a general term that covers different heart problems and is the leading cause of death for men and women in the US.

Heart disease includes conditions such as coronary artery disease, stroke and heart failure. The more general term cardiovascular disease includes heart diseases, as well all other heart and blood vessel conditions such as peripheral arterial disease. A large number Americans are affected by heart disease, with nearly 650,00 dying from heart diseases every year, around 360,000 of those from coronary artery disease, the most common heart disease. By raising awareness about heart health, American Heart Month aims to reduce these impacts.

Heart Disease Risk Factors

There are many known risk factors to heart disease, including:

• Age
• Environment and occupation
• Family history
• Lifestyle habits such as smoking, activity and diet
• Blood pressure
• High cholesterol

The NHLBI has created a set of resources on heart-healthy living, including information on diet, screening tests, activity and other ways to improve your heart health. Beyond the individual, it’s important to recognize the various disparities in heart disease. There are significant racial and ethnic disparities in heart disease. For instance non-Hispanic black persons are more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander persons to die of heart disease. This disparity also extends to variations in incidence of risk factors such as high blood pressure and obesity.

Learn more about heart disease with some of these great resources:

• Heart Diseases (MedlinePlus)
• American Heart Month (NHLBI)
• Health Disparities and Inequities (NHLBI)
• Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke (CDC)
• Heart Disease Facts (National Center For Health Statistics)
• Heart and Stroke Statistics (American Heart Association)
• Disparities in Heart Disease Infographic (CDC)