Good Lifestyle

Our hearts do a lot of work every day. In addition to sending out various red flags to warn us when something might be wrong, they also beat approximately 115,000 times and pump 2,000 gallons of blood. While it's scary to think about something going wrong with this vital organ, heart failure is a prevalent and serious condition that affects about 6.2 million adults sa Estados Unidos.

"Heart failure is a chronic, debilitating condition that occurs when the heart is not pumping enough blood for a body's needs," explains Alanna A. Morris, MD, an associate professor at the Emory University School of Medicine. "As of 2019, heart disease, which includes heart failure, was the number one cause of death in the U.S.," she says.

While certain dietary and lifestyle-related risk factors for heart disease are well known, studies have revealed a surprising factor that puts one group of people at a higher risk of dying from heart failure. Read on to find out what it is.

READ THIS NEXT: If This Happens to You in the Bathroom, Get Checked for Heart Failure.

When it comes to heart failure, there are a lot of variables. The condition can manifest with commonly known symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, or swelling, but warning signs can also be unexpected, like a suddenly overactive na pantog, or changes in the appearance of your skin. Potential causes maaaring kabilang ang high blood pressure, certain diseases, blood clots, and even allergic reactions.

But one of the most surprising facts about heart failure is which group of people are proven to have a worse outcome. "Despite a similar prevalence of the chronic condition, women diagnosed with heart failure have worse outcomes compared to men," says Morris, who is an advisor with Hear Your Heart, an initiative which aims to help women—especially Black and Latina women—take control of their heart health.

READ THIS NEXT: If You Notice This in Your Legs, Get Checked for Heart Failure.

"A deeper look reveals that among Black and Latina women with heart failure, negative health outcomes are magnified due to significant health disparities and inequities that exist in the management of the condition," explains Morris. She adds that Black women with heart failure have a higher mortality rate compared to white women, and that heart failure is the second leading cause of death for Latinas (with cancer being number one).

Why is there such a racial disparity with heart failure and Black and Latina women? In the U.S., 41 percent of African Americans have high blood pressure, which can lead to heart failure. In addition, according to the AHA, "Many Hispanic women have said that they [are] more likely to take preventative action for their families when it comes to heart health… and end up completely ignoring their own health in the process."

As a result, "Hispanic women are likely to develop heart disease 10 years earlier than non-Hispanics," according to the American Heart Association (AHA), which also points out that "Only one in three Hispanic women are aware that heart disease is their number one killer." (For Black women, that number is 36 percent.)

Altapresyonisn't the only factor that may increase your risk for heart disease, but it is a major one. Getting enough physical exercise and lowering your sodium intake can help lower your blood pressure, as can simple lifestyle adjustments like making time for naps, drinking tea, and following the DASH diet (Diet Approaches to Stop Hypertension).

However, having "normal" blood pressure does not guarantee protection against heart disease. Other conditions that may affect your heart's health are high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity—all of which affect Black and Hispanic Americans at higher rates. Black adults in the U.S. are 60 percent more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes, and an article published by the American Psychological Association notes that "Among African-American adults, nearly 48 percent areclinically obese (including 37.1 percent of men and 56.6 percent of women), compared to 32.6 percent of whites (including 32.4 percent of men and 32.8 percent of women)."

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"Ang mga kababaihan na nabubuhay na may kabiguan sa puso ay dapat gumawa ng isang aktibong papel sa kanilang pag -aalaga sa pamamagitan ng paglaan ng oras upang unahin ang kanilang kalusugan sa puso," sabi ni Morris. "Ang paggawa ng mga pagbabago sa pamumuhay, tinitiyak ang mga nauugnay na kondisyon sa kalusugan ng medikal at kaisipan ay pinamamahalaan, at ang pag -secure ng tamang pangkat ng pangangalaga ay lahat ng aspeto ng pangangalaga sa pagkabigo sa puso at maaaring maging mahirap mag -navigate."ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Sa pamamagitan ngPakinggan ang iyong inisyatibo sa puso, Pinapayuhan ni Morris ang mga kababaihan na aktibo at may kaalaman na makisali sa kanilang mga doktor tungkol sa mga kadahilanan tulad ng kanilang kasaysayan ng pamilya. (Ayon sa AHA, "kapwa ang panganib ng sakit sa puso at mga kadahilanan ng peligro para sa sakit sa puso ayMalakas na naka -link sa kasaysayan ng pamilya. ")

Ang mga kababaihan ay dapat ding "maglaan ng oras upang muling suriin ang kanilang natatanging mga pangangailangan sa pagkabigo sa puso at kontrolin ang kanilang pangangalaga - dahil ang mas mahusay na pag -aalaga ay nagsisimula sa mas mahusay na pag -unawa," dagdag ni Morris. "Ang pagkuha ng unang hakbang sa pakiramdam na mas mahusay na nagsisimula sa pagpapahayag ng mga alalahanin sa kalusugan sa isang doktor at pagkuha ng impormasyong kinakailangan upang suportahan ang pamamahala ng kondisyon at pagtanggap ng pinakamahusay na pag -aalaga na posible."

Basahin ito sa susunod:Ang pag -inom na ito araw -araw ay maaaring madulas ang iyong panganib ng pagkabigo sa puso, sabi ng bagong pag -aaral.