Lake Regional Encouraging Residents To Pay Attention To Heart Disease Signs Now

Although American Heart Month is now over, health officials across the lake area are encouraging you to make better personal choices everyday to minimize the chances of any serious problems developing with your ticker.

Jessica Willis, with Lake Regional Health System’s Cardiothoracic Surgery Department, says there are several risk factors associated with heart disease with smoking being at the top of the list.

“Smokers are 2 to 4 times more likely to develop heart diseases, as compared to someone who does not smoke….so not smoking is going to decrease your risk factors for heart disease.”

Other main factors leading to heart disease, according to Willis, include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and being overweight or obese.

Willis also says, if you are a high-risk individual, to check in with your health care provider to set up a plan of attack to help control the problems that are associated with the onset of heart disease.