Heart Matters National Heart Foundation heartfoundation.org.nz
At 40 years old you expect to have a lot of living ahead of you; to see your family grow up, enjoy your grandchildren or perhaps do some travelling.
Sadly, not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy these things.
With one New Zealander dying from heart disease every 90 minutes (an average of 16 deaths a day) heart disease is the country’s number one killer of men and women.
Heart disease is tearing families apart. once considered to be an ‘old man’s disease’, the rate of heart attacks in younger adults is currently increasing and heart disease is the single biggest killer of men aged over 35 years. Many people have no idea they are at risk, particularly if they are reasonably fit, not overweight, don’t smoke and have no symptoms.
Many premature deaths from heart disease are avoidable and the Heart Foundation urges New Zealanders to have their hearts checked.
Wendy Bryson, clinical nurse specialist for cardiology at Tauranga Hospital says that people are not getting the message about early detection. She believes that most young people (25-40) and often older people as well, don’t think about their hearts and often think a bit of discomfort is indigestion or a pulled muscle. Even at an early age it could be your heart, so make sure you get any symptoms checked out quickly, for your own sake and for your family’s.
Having a heart check and knowing your risk could save your life. for some it may just require a change of lifestyle, for others medical treatment.
A good place to start is the Heart Foundation’s online heart health risk assessment tool – Know Your Numbers. first ask your doctor for your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers and then go to knowyournumbers.co.nz.
The easy to follow site will predict your risk of heart disease based on the information you provide, and provide advice on changes you can make to reduce your risk.
It’s well worth a visit and may motivate you to make simple changes that will improve your heart health or even save your life.
The Heart Foundation’s goal is to stop New Zealanders dying prematurely of heart disease and as a not-for-profit, non-government organisation it is reliant on the generous support of everyday New Zealanders. our annual appeal street collection on February 11-12 provides an opportunity for people to support the work of the Heart Foundation.
Your donation will be used locally and will help to save lives. you can also volunteer a few hours of your time to collect on our street collection day on February 11 -12.
For further information, call Sandy at the Heart Foundation (07 571 3013) and look out for next month’s ‘Heart Matters’ to learn more about your heart health.