In matters of the heart, it's a matter of prevention

For more information on Cardiac Rehabilitation, contact the Cardiac Rehab department at Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center, 859 625-3195 or email us.

by Lisa G. Williams, RN
and Rodney Wills, Exercise Physiologist
at Pattie A. Clay's Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

Kentuckians do not fare too well when it comes to matters of the heart—heart disease, that is.  Every day, 200 Kentuckians are hospitalized due to heart disease.  We rank 6^th in deaths from cardiovascular and coronary heart disease.  Our age-adjusted rate for heart disease is 3^rd highest in the nation, and is responsible for 4 of every 10 deaths in this state.  And the problem is greatest in the eastern third of our state, too.

If you smoke, are overweight, have high cholesterol or don’t get much exercise, you should be worried about whether you are likely to become one of the statistics.  The risk factors for heart disease are many and include both controllable and uncontrollable indicators.  The factors we cannot control include a family history of heart disease, our age and our ethnic background.

While we cannot choose our ancestry, the good news is that we can still make healthy decisions that will affect our likelihood of developing heart disease. Controllable risk factors include:

• High blood cholesterol

• High blood pressure

• Smoking

• Lack of regular exercise

• High fat diet

• Uncontrolled diabetes

• Being overweight or obese

• Chronic stress or depression

Becoming physically active is one of the most important and effective ways a person can control heart disease.  Exercise and physical activity helps lower cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, and the effects of stress. Diabetics benefit from physical activity because it helps control blood sugar levels.  To be effective, exercise does not have to be strenuous.  Even taking an evening walk can show benefits if done routinely.  Regular exercise can also improve your quality of life, whether you’re a heart patient or not.  Remember, though, it is important to have your physician’s approval before starting any exercise program.

Diet can make a big difference in controlling the risk factors associated with heart disease, too.  By eating a balanced diet that is full of nutrients and low in fat, you can reduce your weight, your cholesterol and your blood pressure.  Diabetics must be particularly careful to eat a diet that helps maintain a steady and acceptable blood sugar level. This means avoiding alcoholic beverages and excessive amounts of foods that are high in sugar or carbohydrates.

A third way you can control the risk factors associated with heart disease is to see your physician regularly. The benefits of regular, on-going contact with your family physician toward staying healthy cannot be overstated.  Your physician can provide a medically supervised regimen of diet, exercise and lifestyle choices to help you control your long-term risks for developing chronic illness.  Further, subtle changes that you are unlikely to notice may alert your doctor to some underlying or emerging health problems that can often be cured or managed if approached early. 

It is very simple: see your doctor, stop smoking, exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet or you could end up as another of Kentucky’s heart disease statistics. 

Lisa G. Williams is a Registered Nurse and the Clinical Coordinator of the cardiac rehabilitation program at Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center.  Rodney Wills is the program’s Exercise Physiologist. Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised rehabilitation program that includes exercise, education, medical monitoring and support.  The program serves patients who have suffered from heart attacks, heart by-pass or other surgical intervention, chronic angina or congestive heart disease. 

11/03

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