MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) – According to the Centers for Disease and Control, heart disease is the cause of one out of every four deaths each year. February is American Heart Month and the goal is to increase awareness nationally.
According to the American Heart Association in 2012, 9,277 South Carolinians died from heart disease. South Carolina had the sixth highest stroke death rate in the nation in 2010 and is among a group of Southeastern states with high stroke death rates that is referred to as the “Stroke Belt.”
African Americans are more than 46 percent more likely to die from stroke than Caucasians in South Carolina. In fact, heart disease is South Carolina’s leading killer for African-American women.
In 2012, heart disease killed 1,174 African-American women in South Carolina. Leaders with the American Heart Association say it’s important to take preventative steps.
“They can first of all eat better. They can get physically active. They can know their cholesterol, so really know their numbers get their cholesterol checked. They can know their blood pressure as well. That’s another one of those important numbers for folks to know and they can control their sodium intake, that’s an important one,” AHA Senior Director of Development, Holly Bagyi said.
On the American Heart Association’s website www.heart.org you’ll find a number of resources available to with a healthier lifestyle.
