Know the risk factors and test your knowledge of heart health basics.

The month of February is a time to recognize the impact of heart disease on our loved ones, friends and neighbors, and raise awareness of the risk factors to hopefully reverse the trend.
Press Release
February 21, 2024

One major risk factor for heart disease is high blood pressure, or hypertension. Left unmanaged, hypertension can lead to significant impacts to your health over time, including heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and heart failure.

The first step to living a heart healthy lifestyle is ensuring your blood pressure is within a healthy range. If you don’t know your blood pressure, getting it checked sooner rather than later will enable you to detect signs of heart disease as early as possible. It may save your life.

People with very high blood pressure (usually 180/120 or higher) can experience symptoms including:

severe headaches

chest pain

dizziness

difficulty breathing

nausea

vomiting

blurred vision or other vision changes

anxiety

confusion

buzzing in the ears

nosebleeds

abnormal heart rhythm

Think you know all about heart health? Take this quiz to test your knowledge: Blood Pressure 101: Know the Basics (riddle.com)
 

Source: Hypertension (who.int)