Know your heart health risk profile

Know your heart health risk profile and take action now

Potentially life-saving heart health checks should be a top priority for Kiwi men and women as the holiday season comes to a close.

Heart Foundation Medical Director, Professor Norman Sharpe, believes too many heart disease deaths are still premature and preventable.

“In many cases a heart health check completed by a GP or practice nurse can identify invisible risk and provide large benefits for many individuals in a relatively short period of time,” says Professor Sharpe.

With cardiovascular disease (heart, stroke and blood vessel disease) accounting for 40 per cent of all New Zealand deaths annually, the Heart Foundation is urging adult New Zealanders to book a ‘heart health check’ with their GPs or practice nurse.

This is a simple check to determine the risk of having a heart attack or stroke and offering support and treatment where necessary.

The Heart Foundation recommends heart health checks for men over the age of 45 and women over 55, and 10 years earlier if you have any risk factors for heart disease, are Maori, a Pacific person or from the Indian sub-continent or Fiji.

Professor Sharpe says the well known risk factors are smoking, known high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and a family history of heart disease (brother or father having heart disease before the age of 55; sister or mother having heart disease before the age of 65). These factors all have to be considered together to provide a reliable estimate of individual risk.

“The death rates from heart disease are still too high and there is now a ‘new wave’ of heart disease occurring in relatively younger people, more closely related to obesity and diabetes.

“That is why we’re launching a number of new initiatives in 2009 to lift awareness and give people more resources to help them better manage their heart health. We will also be upping the ante in February with Valentine’s Heart Week and continuing with our Go Red for Women campaign to ensure women are also well aware of their risk of heart disease.

“It is fine to enjoy the festive season with family and friends but we should also be using the time to plan for a heart health check and invest in healthy lifestyle changes in 2009."

Five ways to look after your heart:

1. Have a heart health check: take the Heart Foundation’s online risk quiz at www.heartfoundation.org.nz to see if you need to visit your practice nurse or GP for a heart health check

2. Get to know your numbers: find out your cholesterol level, blood pressure and waist circumference

3. Quit smoking: it is the single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease

4. Heart healthy eating: enjoy a variety of foods from the heart healthy food groups

5. Be active everyday: regular, moderate physical activity is good for the heart. The Heart Foundation recommends that you include at least 30 minutes or more on most, or all days of the week

ENDS

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