5 Heart Disease Facts Every Latina Should Know

By Valerie Tejeda | 02/21/2013 - 17:34 | 0 Comments

In the United States, a woman suffers a heart attack every 90 seconds. February is American Heart Month – a time to think about what you can do to take care of your heart. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the United States, and the number one killer of Latinas in the U.S. This disease claims the lives of more women than lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes combined. The good news is, most risk factors for heart disease—including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, and smoking—are preventable and controllable. Controlling these risks could reduce your risk of a heart attack by 80 percent.

Here are five facts about heart disease and five prevention measures to lower your risk of heart disease from Univision's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Juan Rivera.  

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Fact: Heart Disease is Not a Male Disease

One of the biggest misconceptions about heart disease is that it only affects men. This is definitely not the case. Around 80 percent of women ages 40 to 60 have one or more risk factors for heart disease. Having one or more risk factors can majorly increase your chances of developing heart disease. According to research, even having just one risk factor doubles your chances. To find out if you are at risk, you should talk to your doctor. You can also take this quiz from the national cholesterol education program to help determine your risk factor. 

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