American Heart Month

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the U.S. Recent stats from the American Heart Association tell us that at least 48% of U.S. adults have some form of cardiovascular disease. Nearly HALF of adults in the US have hypertension; only 1 in 4 adults with hypertension have their blood pressure under control.

CirrusMD physicians are helping patients improve their heart health. For example, a virtual care physician can help direct patients toward the American Heart Association’s seven goals: eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, avoiding excess weight, not smoking, and keeping blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar within a healthy range.

People often don’t know they have hypertension, but this “silent killer” can cause damage to organs, increasing risk of stroke and heart attacks, without having any symptoms. High blood pressure and cholesterol (a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes) often go unnoticed because there aren’t any symptoms often until a patient’s blood pressure is really high. So, checking blood pressure and cholesterol regularly is important to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Support Your Employees With Access to Care

Employers can encourage employees to use virtual services like CirrusMD to help “know your numbers” and identify risk of heart disease. You can help employees through wellness programs and reminders for health screenings, which in turn can help avoid loss of productivity and increased sick days. Most importantly, your employees are living happier and healthier lives.

It’s Different for Women

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in women, and in fact more women die of heart disease than men! Often the issues get worse because the symptoms are not evident, and women are not taking the time to do health screenings.  Again, employers can help by sending reminders to female employees, reminding them to reach out to a CirrusMD physician to schedule lab work or discuss what screenings are needed, or offering home blood pressure monitors or employee health fairs.

Know The Steps 

Help your employees follow these important steps to better heart health:

• Know your blood pressure. Uncontrolled blood pressure can lead to heart disease. 
• Talk to a healthcare provider about whether you should be tested for diabetes. Having uncontrolled diabetes raises the risk of heart disease. 
• Quit smoking. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do smoke, a CirrusMD doctor can offer resources to help you quit.
• Manage your cholesterol. A CirrusMD doctor can help schedule labs to check blood cholesterol and triglycerides.