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ALBANY, GA --
In a new release from the Southwest Georgia Health District, Dr. Jacqueline Grant warns that heart attack and stroke are life-threatening emergencies wants individuals to learn the risk factors of heart disease that can be changed along with how to overcome them.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Georgia, including Southwest Health District’s 14 counties,” Grant added. “Making changes in your behavior can reduce your risk profoundly and allow you to live a healthier life.” 

Grant says that the list of risk factors a person can work on to change and manage include smoking, low physical activity, poor diet, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes.

“Learning if you have high cholesterol, then working with your healthcare provider to reduce it, for example, is vital,” Grant said. “That’s why we stress the importance of regular health screenings.”

While health screenings, good diet, regular exercise, being tobacco-free and learning to manage stress effectively are important ways to lower the risk of heart disease, it also is important to know the symptoms of heart attack and stroke.

“Anyone can have a stroke, no matter your age, race or gender,” Grant cautioned. “Cardiovascular death rates increase with age, but it is a mistake to view it as a disease that only strikes the elderly. In Georgia, one out of every four people it kills is less than 65 years old.”

The symptoms that signal the need to call 911 for emergency medical attention for heart attacks include chest discomfort that may come and go and may feel like squeezing, fullness, pressure or pain; discomfort in other areas of the upper body including arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach; shortness of breath; nausea; lightheadedness; and experiencing a cold sweat.

The symptoms for a stroke that signal the need for 911 include sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden, severe headache.