February is American Heart Month, a reminder that protecting the heart of Brooklyn starts with awareness. Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death, yet prevention and early care can make all the difference.
Heart disease is often called a “silent” condition because it can develop slowly over many years without obvious symptoms. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking can quietly damage the heart and blood vessels. For many, the first sign of heart disease is a serious event like a heart attack or stroke. That’s why prevention and regular check-ups are so important, even when you feel fine.
Symptoms are often subtle: shortness of breath with simple activities, unusual fatigue, chest discomfort, swelling in the legs, dizziness, or heart palpitations. Your body gives warning signs, please don’t ignore them.
Heart symptoms can also look different in women. Men often describe classic chest pressure, while women may experience nausea, shortness of breath, back, jaw, or neck pain, and extreme fatigue. Because these symptoms can seem less dramatic, women are sometimes misdiagnosed or delay care. If something feels “off,” it’s better to get it checked.
Every adult should know their key health numbers — blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar (HbA1C), weight, and other markers of cardiovascular risk. Prevention starts with knowing your numbers.
High blood pressure makes the heart work harder, which can thicken and weaken the heart muscle over time and damage blood vessels, raising the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and heart failure. The dangerous part is that you may not feel it happening at all.
Daily habits matter. Poor sleep, chronic stress, and diets high in salt and processed foods raise blood pressure and inflammation. Small, consistent lifestyle changes can make a big difference. Controlling blood pressure and maintaining a healthy weight through diet, activity, and medication if needed, even a 30-minute walk most days, can dramatically reduce risk.
Call 911 immediately if you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, sudden weakness, slurred speech, severe dizziness, or fainting. Do not wait, minutes matter.
Heart disease is largely preventable. With regular screenings, healthy habits, and early treatment, we can save lives, especially in our community. Your heart works for you every second of every day, take care of it.
Across its three campuses and ambulatory locations, One Brooklyn Health’s Division of Cardiology provides comprehensive heart care from prevention and diagnostics to advanced therapeutic and interventional treatment available 24/7 treating conditions such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, heart failure, and pulmonary embolism.
The division’s excellence has been recognized through the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Gold Plus award, a special American College of Cardiology grant supporting its Heart Failure Center, and a commendation from New York State for exceptional life-saving care.
Visit the One Brooklyn Health website to learn more about our cardiology services and available screenings.
Also Featured On:
Our Time Press
Brooklyn Chambers of Commerce
