Are You Heart Smart?

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Are You Heart Smart? (NAPSA)—Learning about heart disease may help protect you from it. Yet a recent American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM)survey found many women don’t understand their risk of heart disease. Take this quiz to find out how heart-health savvy you are. Q. T or F: Heart disease is the they recommend aspirin therapy as a way to reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event for patients at increased risk. women. A.True. According to the Amer- Q. Which of the following are risk factors used to assess a woman’s (or a man’s) personal risk of heart disease? a. Age b. Previous heart problems c. Cholesterol levels d. Blood pressure or diabetes e. Family history f. Smoking habits g. All of the above A. g—All of the above. Your health care provider can determine which risk category you fall into— low, moderate or high—and can provide suggestions to reduce your number one killer of American ican Heart Association, cardiovas- cular disease kills about half a million American women each year—roughly one a minute. Q. T or F: Heart disease kills more women than men. A. True. However, nearly threefourths of women in the ACPM survey did not consider themselves to be at equal or greater risk of having a heart attack than a man. Q. T or F: Most women are doing all they can to help prevent heart attacks. A. False. Nearly half of the women respondents at increased risk for heart attack or stroke were not taking one proven pre- vention tool: Aspirin. If you’re at increased risk for heart attack, your doctor may recommend aspirin therapy to help lower that risk. Aspirin has over 100 years of proven safety and efficacy, but be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. Q. T or F: Health care professionals support using aspirin as part of a cardiovascular event risk-reduction strategy. A. True. Nearly all the health care professionals surveyed said Learning about heart disease is a healthy idea. Q. risk. Q. Which of the following are steps you can take to help prevent heart disease? a. Have your doctor assess your personalcardiovascularrisk b. Exercise and stop smoking c. Eat a healthy diet d. Ask your doctor whether a daily aspirin regimenis right for you e. All of the above e—All of the above. You can work with your doctor to develop a cardiovascular event prevention program that suits your individual health needs. For more information visit www.bayeraspirin.com.