If you treat your heart badly, it will kill you. Or make your life miserable.
This week's lecture was hosted by the Anne Arundel Medical Center's Heart and Vascular Institute and Dare To C.A.R.E., an early detection program for cardiovascular disease.
"Over 1 million Americans die each year from heart disease," said Dr. Barbara A. Hutchinson, medical director of the Heart and Vascular Institute.
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, followed by cancer and strokes, she said. This year there will be 470,000 heart attacks and an equal number of recurrent heart attacks. A heart attack occurs every 27 seconds in the United States.
Dr. Hutchinson said Mississippi, with its high obesity rate, is the state with the largest number of per capita heart attacks. Minnesota has the lowest rate.
Marylanders have no room to be smug: 62 percent of Maryland residents are overweight or obese.
"Obesity accelerates the chance of heart attack," said cardiologist Dr. Kelly Sullivan, speaking, like Hutchinson, at AAMC's Doordan Health Sciences Institute. She outlined the types of medications used to lower cholesterol; statins, she said, are the type of drugs most often prescribed.
At the event, AAMC staff member Annamarie DeCarlo nibbled "textured vegetable protein" that looked like chicken salad. Several long buffet tables groaned under a spread of heart-healthy foods, platters of rapidly vanishing raw veggies and fruits with low-fat dips.
"A teaspoon or 2,400 mg used to be the old recommended maximum daily amount of sodium or salt," said nutritionist Ann Caldwell. Now, 1,500 mg, a rounded half-teaspoon, is the maximum amount.
At the next booth, chief nurse executive Sherry Perkins put a blood pressure cuff on AAMC Auxilary member Tony Wheeler. The monitor screen flashed good news: 126 over 61.
"It's not just the heart muscle, but things around the heart that leads to coronary health," said Heritage Harbor resident Ed Kelley. "I need to pay more attention to my doctor's advice." He said he has had an irregular heartbeat since 1961.
AAMC President Victoria Bayless said the hospital has increasingly focused on the community's wellness, which includes prevention of and screening for heart disease. "The care that happens outside the hospital," including the free heart disease lectures and screenings, can be the most important, she said.
"If you've had a heart attack, angioplasty or a stent, you've got to stop smoking. You have to avoid secondhand smoke," Dr. Jerome Segal said.
"Anyone here still smoke?" Dr. John Martin yelled as he moved through the audience.
One hand shot up.
"Wait a minute. I'll take care of you," the doctor-emcee offered. A few seconds later, more than half the hands in the room were in the air when Dr. Martin asked who had quit smoking.
In Dr. Will Maxted's presentation, the discussion turned to automatic external defibrillators and implantable cardiac defibrillators . Video showed the immediate impact of catheterizations inside damaged arteries.
Vascular surgeon Dr. Mark Peeler flashed a slide of a long, red snakelike thing.
"This is what a cheeseburger looks like when you take it out of a leg artery," he said.
Strokes, he said, are another killer. They cause 160,000 deaths annually, he said, and only 10 percent of victims recover completely.
"It kills twice as many women as breast cancer," he said.
Annapolis resident Ann Calvin said she hadn't realized diabetes and cancer could impact heart disease.
"We all need to be educated to be aware and to improve our health," she said. "African Americans are at high risk for heart disease because of obesity, salty foods and we don't exercise enough. Other minority groups are going through the same situation."
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The next Dare To C.A.R.E. lecture is from 6 to 8 p.m. April 12 at AAMC's Health Sciences Institute Pavilion Building. The cardiovascular screening is April 14 at AAMC's Sajak Pavilon on the fifth floor, Suite 520. Both are free, but a reservation is required. Call 410-573-9483 for information and reservations. Additional lectures and screenings are scheduled for June and November.
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Wendi Winters is a freelance writer based on the Broadneck Peninsula.