(RxWiki News) Many women in a recent survey didn't know the age when they should begin getting regular heart screenings.
Sixty percent of the women said they thought heart screenings were due at around age 30 — a decade later than the recommended age of 20, according to a press release about this survey.
"This is a wake up call that there needs to be more education on heart health and more aggressive screenings to prevent a small issue from developing into life-threatening conditions," said Dr. Carolina Demori, a cardiologist who leads the Women's Cardiac Center at the Orlando Health Heart Institute, in the press release. "Women can begin developing atherosclerosis, plaque in their arteries, in their teens and early twenties. Therefore, it is vital to understand risk factors and make appropriate life changes as early as possible."
This survey, conducted by Orlando Health, included more than 1,000 women across the United States. The average age women said they thought heart screenings should begin was 41. Few knew that these screenings are recommended to start at 20, according to the survey.
"Young people need to know what heart disease is and how they can prevent it, so they grow up with this knowledge and understand the preventative steps they need to take," Dr. Demori said. "Women cannot wait until they're 40 to start paying attention to their risk factors."
Talk to your doctor about when you should have your heart checked and how to maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle.
Information about survey funding sources and potential conflicts of interest was not available at the time of publication.
