By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff on Twitter

Connection between heart conditions, stroke and cognitive decline in 2019 Heart and Stroke Foundation Report

Feb 15, 2019 | 10:57 AM

LETHBRIDGE – February is Heart and Stroke month, and this time the Heart and Stroke Foundation is focusing on women’s heart health and the signs of heart attack.

Mission Director Samantha Berscht explains that while there are ‘classic’ symptoms of a heart attack like chest pain and the feeling of intense pressure. However, women can have a heart attack without having any chest pain.

“So it’s important for women to be aware of those risks and for first responders to be aware of those symptoms so that if women are describing symptoms like ‘I have pain in my jaw, in my neck, in my shoulders and I’m sweating and I’m nauseous and I’m short of breath,’ even with that absence of chest pain that that’s still very likely recognized as being a heart attack.”

She says women often describe not feeling well for up to a week before their heart attack, and sometimes they’re extraordinarily tired. Or, the symptoms can be fairly acute, meaning they can appear quickly and severely.

The 2019 Heart and Stroke Report

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The report, just released this month looks at the connections between heart conditions, stroke and cognitive decline and finds that they can be much more deeply connected than previously thought.

Berscht says it’s called an ‘associated risk.’

“Depending on what condition you have, there’s a number of different possible associations… and in the report they have mapped out those associations and taken a close look at how those pieces are linked together, and how strongly they are linked together.”

According to the report, people with heart conditions have a significantly increased risk of vascular cognitive impairment, including problems with attention, memory, language and problem solving, and possibly dementia.

“The health of our heart and brain are more interconnected, maybe, than we realized,” Berscht explains.

But she adds that prevention is also connected to brain and vascular health and that includes quitting smoking, increasing exercise and eating a healthier diet.

**One other note: Berscht says Heart and Stroke canvassers will be going door to door in February, however every person raising money for the organization WILL have an official Heart and Stroke Foundation lanyard, branded name tags and branded official information.