Regular screening can prevent heart attacks – if you take the time

MOSES LAKE — Heart health is nothing to take lightly.

“Over the last 50 years, heart attacks have decreased almost 90% in the United States,” said Dollie Jo Cloud, a nurse at Samaritan Healthcare specializing in cardiac medicine. “(It’s due) to early detection, getting that preventative care.”

With the children of the 1970s now nearing or in their 50s, more people are realizing they don’t want to follow in their parents’ footsteps, gritting their teeth and working through health problems until they get too big to ignore, Cloud said.

“We can live a longer, healthier life,” she said. “The key is early detection, making sure we’re getting screened for congenital heart disease and heart failure, eating right, exercising and just making sure that we’re doing everything that we can.”

Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control; a person dies every 34 seconds from it. Most of those deaths were preventable, Cloud said, if people would just take the time.

“We can do blood tests to make sure we’re not diabetic (and) if we are, we can get on medication,” she said. “We can (change) our lifestyle. We can change the way we eat. We can exercise, lose weight. If that doesn’t help, there are medications out there. We can start doing a log of our blood pressure. If it’s elevated, then we need to make sure we’re seeing our primary care (provider).”

Working out and eating healthy seem like a no-brainer, but 33% of Grant County residents 65 and over have difficulty even walking, according to the Grant County Health District. Twenty-three percent of Grant County adults 18 and over experience food insecurity and 32% are obese. Forty-two percent of adults in Grant County have not had a medical checkup in the past year, according to GCHD data.

“(The mistake people make) is just not paying attention to (their health),” Cloud said. “You’re hearing it, but it doesn’t resonate. It’s not going to happen to me. I’ve worked all my life and I’m healthy. I’m not feeling anything, so I’m good. And the next thing you know, they’re in the ER and they’ve had a heart attack.”

A huge factor in assessing the risk is family history. According to a study published by the College of Family Physicians in Canada, if your sibling had cardiovascular disease, you’re 40% more likely to have it yourself, and if one of your parents had premature cardiovascular disease, your risk increases by 60-75%.

“We can do all the exercise that we want. We can eat healthy,” Cloud said. “But if you got this from your parents - well, congratulations, that’s what you have inherited …  If your grandparents have had these issues, and your parents have had these issues, and you’ve got cousins or siblings (who have had them), it’s coming for you.”

For people who are adopted or for some other reason may not know their family history, genetic testing may turn up some information, Cloud said. The key, again, is to talk to your primary care provider and if necessary, get a referral for a cardiologist.

“A lot of times when patients come in and (the doctor) sits down and he goes over everything, we ask, ‘Have you had any heart palpitations? Have you had shortness of breath when you’re walking upstairs? Have you had any chest pain?’ And sometimes they’ll be like, ‘Well, I thought it was just probably just indigestion, but I have had shortness of breath here lately,’ or ‘I’ve had a little pain in my chest, just a little pressure.’ That’s an indication to us that we need to look a little bit deeper.”

Modern technology offers several ways a cardiologist can monitor a patient’s heart for tests or for ongoing observation, Cloud said. There’s a seven- to 15-day monitor that can assess daily problems, and another that monitors 24/7 for 30 days for issues the patient may not be aware of.

But none of that technology helps if the patient doesn’t take that first step, Cloud said.

“Make sure you get your screenings,” she said. “Make sure you get your yearly blood work. Go to your doctor every year. It may be a scary thing to look at, but … it’s kind of like you’re going down the highway and there’s a hole in the road. If we do not get that fixed, it’s going to keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and then you’re just going to fall into it. So, with your health, make sure we get that prevention done.”