Staff encouraged to look after their cardiac health on World Heart Day

With today being World Heart Day, SERC staff are urged to be aware of heart health and any conditions that may arise.  

Keeping your heart healthy, whatever your age, is the most important thing you can do to help prevent and manage heart disease and 10 top tips on how to keep your heart healthy can be found here. Following tips like these can help reduce your risk of conditions such as angina, heart attack, heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms to name but a few.  

What’s your heart age?

If you're 40 or over you can use this tool before your NHS Health Check to get an idea of what your results might show. Here you can follow the steps to discover your heart age. Please note, you may be directed to the OneYou website depending on your age.    

Key areas to be aware of to avoid heart risk

Looking after your heart starts with understanding your risk, so make sure you know all your health numbers. Visit your healthcare professional and ask for a few simple checks.  

• High blood glucose (blood sugar) can be indicative of diabetes. CVD accounts for 60% of all deaths in people with diabetes so if it’s left undiagnosed and untreated it can put you at increased risk of heart disease and stroke  
• High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for CVD. It’s called the ‘silent killer’ because it usually has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people don’t realize they have it  
• Visit your healthcare professional and ask them to measure your cholesterol levels, weight and body mass index (BMI), as well as your blood pressure and blood glucose. They can then advise you on your CVD risk so you can plan to improve your heart health
• Over 70% of all cardiac and breathing emergencies occur in the home when a family member is present and could help a victim. Talk to your healthcare professional about local cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) courses so you can help a loved-one in the event of a heart attack. If you suspect a family member is having a heart attack or stroke, seek medical help immediately.  

Useful links:

British Heart Foundation

Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke

VIDEO - “What you can do for a healthier heart”