Be Aware of Your Health Metrics

American Heart Month

American Heart Month is observed in February every year. It helps bring awareness to the prevalence of heart disease in America. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Louisiana and in the United States. Louisiana ranks fifth in the nation for highest death rate due to heart disease. Prevention is key. Knowing your numbers as it relates to your heart health is a step in the right direction when it comes to prevention.

Heart Health By The Numbers

There are some important numbers that your health care provider uses to assess your risk for cardiovascular disease. Regardless of whether you have been diagnosed with a condition that increases your risk or if you’re currently healthy, monitoring these numbers is essential for preventing heart disease. For those who have already been diagnosed with a heart condition, it can be lifesaving.

Of course, heart health is more than a numbers game. Other factors (such as lifestyle habits and family history) are used to evaluate your overall risk of getting heart disease. Being aware of your health metrics is a critical piece of the equation.

What are those “magic” numbers? The four metrics that your primary care physician or cardiologist will want to measure are your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and body measurements. These numbers can give a very accurate picture of your cardiovascular health.

Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” for a reason. There are usually no symptoms for it. You can only tell if blood pressure is high by measuring it. Blood pressure can be checked by using a cuff monitor at the doctor’s office or at home. The ideal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg, but having slightly higher blood pressure isn’t necessarily a cause for concern.

Cholesterol

There are three types of cholesterol that can be measured with a blood test: total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol and HDL (good) cholesterol. Healthy readings are less than 200 mg/dL for total cholesterol, less than 100 mg/dL for LDL, and 60 mg/dL or higher for HDL.

Blood Sugar Levels

Having diabetes is a substantial risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is why monitoring blood sugar is very important. Blood sugar is checked by a fasting blood test (a sample taken after fasting for eight to 12 hours). A result of 99 mg/dL or less is normal. A reading of 100 to 125 mg/dL is prediabetes, and higher than 125 mg/dL is high blood sugar.

Body Measurements

Obesity is a significant risk factor for heart disease, even if your other numbers are in the healthy range. The ideal body weight for each person is unique depending on their age, gender, height and build. Two measurements often used to assess ideal body weight include the body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.

Generally, a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy. A waistline smaller than 35 inches for women or less than 40 inches for men is the goal.

There are other numbers that factor into building heart health. They include your daily step count, fruit and vegetable intake, hours of sleep and how many alcoholic drinks you consume. If those numbers are good, the more likely your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and body measurements will also be good.

The team at Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists consists of North Louisiana’s leading experts in cardiovascular care. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit ACSDoctors.com or call our office at (318) 798-9400.

Dr. Trey Baucum is a cardiologist at Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists in Shreveport, Louisiana. He graduated from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1988 and has been practicing in the area for 30 years.