February marks American Heart Month

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and persons of most racial and ethnic groups throughout the United States.  

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – February marks American heart month, a time when all persons can focus on their cardiovascular health and heed any possible warning signs.

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and persons of most racial and ethnic groups throughout the United States.  

Cody Johnson, a paramedic, at the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, spoke about the symptoms of a heart attack for men and women. 

They both will also feel what we call as referred pain in the medical field, or jaw and neck pain along with the pain that goes down majority of the time; it’s the left arm, sometimes it’s both arms and then shortness of breath, so that that’s pretty much what they’re both men and women both feel. 

Another form of heart disease is the all-to-common stroke. 

And according to the CDC, a stroke is more common among older adults, with the chances of having a stroke doubling every 10 years after a person turns 55. 

But Johnson says that younger people experience heart problems as well. 

“Usually what we see in younger people are arrythmia. So, the heart doesn’t pump normal; it has like, there there’s some kind of electrical imbalance in there and the heart beats funny and that’s where we see heart issues with the younger generation,” he said.