News Release
WARSAW – Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital is taking the month of February to help the community learn ways to reduce heart disease risks with a 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge.
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of more than 650,000 people each year. Some important facts about heart disease:
- One person in the U.S. dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease.
- About 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack every year.
- Nearly half of American adults (47 percent) suffer from high blood pressure, or hypertension, which increases the risk of a heart attack and stroke. However, only about one in four people with high blood pressure have their condition under control.
Another important fact is that most people can take steps now to reduce heart disease risks.
“By adopting a healthy lifestyle, including not smoking, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol and treating high blood pressure, we can all reduce our risk for heart disease,” said Akindolapo Akinwande, M.D., a board-certified cardiologist with Lutheran Health Physicians in Warsaw.
The 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge daily email sent throughout the month of February, which is recognized as American Heart Month, will provide tips to help participants eat healthier, get up from a sedentary lifestyle, relieve stress and lower blood pressure.
“We are committed to helping people live healthier, and for most of us there’s no better place to start than taking better care of our hearts,” said Lynn Mergen, Lutheran Kosciusko CEO.
