YOUR GUIDE TO. Lowering The Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

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1 YOUR GUIDE TO Lowering The Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

2 The Mercy Health Heart Institute team is focused on helping you keep your heart healthy. As part of this effort, it s important for you to know your heart s numbers, and what they mean to your heart health. KNOW YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE NUMBERS Blood pressure measures the force your blood makes when it pumps against the walls of your arteries. If the force is too high, it can make your heart work too hard and harden your arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease. This is called having high blood pressure (HBP). When we check your blood pressure, we ll let you know two numbers. For example, 120 over 80 (120/80). The first or top number is systolic pressure. This is your blood pressure at its highest when your heart beats and pumps blood. The bottom (or second) number is diastolic pressure. This measures your heart at rest between beats, when your blood pressure falls. There are four categories to rank blood pressure* CATEGORY SYSTOLIC DIASTOLIC Hypertensive 140 or above or 90 or above About two thirds of people over age 65 are in this category Stage 2 Hypertensive At or above 160 or At or above 100 Prehypertensive or You don t have HBP now, but will probably develop it if you don t make changes to your lifestyle Normal Less than 120 and Less than 80 * These categories apply to adults who aren t taking HBP medicine; don t have a short-term, serious illness, and don t have other conditions like diabetes or kidney disease. In people with diabetes or chronic kidney disease, a measurement of 130/80 mm Hg or higher is considered high blood pressure. TRACKING YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE Goal blood pressure: DATE BLOOD PRESSURE SYSTOLIC/DIASTOLIC (MMHG)

3 KNOW YOUR CHOLESTEROL NUMBERS Our team will work with you to determine your cholesterol goals. These goals will be based on your current and past medical history and any risk factors you may have for heart disease. LDL (bad cholesterol) An LDL cholesterol level of less than 130 mg/dl is recommended if you have two or more risk factors for heart disease. An LDL cholesterol level of less than 100 mg/dl is recommended if you have diabetes or heart disease. We will work with you to determine your cholesterol goal. HDL (good cholesterol) When it comes to HDL cholesterol, a higher level is better because HDL helps to move LDL (bad) cholesterol away from your arteries. An HDL cholesterol level of 60 mg/dl or more is considered high and is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. An HDL cholesterol level of less than 40 mg/dl is considered low and is associated with a higher risk of heart disease. Total cholesterol A total cholesterol level (both LDL and HDL together) of less than 200 mg/dl is considered desirable. DESIRABLE BORDERLINE HIGH HIGH Less than At or above 240 Triglycerides A triglyceride level of less than 150 mg/dl is considered normal. DESIRABLE BORDERLINE HIGH HIGH VERY HIGH Less than At or above 500 KNOW YOUR BLOOD SUGAR NUMBERS Diabetes can affect your entire body, including your heart. Our team can tell if you have diabetes by checking the levels of glucose (sugar) in your blood. There are four tests that we can use to determine your blood sugar levels: A1C (glycated hemoglobin) FPG (fasting plasma glucose) OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) RPG (random plasma glucose) We may repeat tests on a different day to confirm a diagnosis of diabetes. If you do have diabetes, self-testing your blood sugar levels with a blood glucose meter may be something you need to do throughout the day. Your healthcare provider will also test your A1C every three to six months. The A1C test measures your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months as a percentage. It shows how balanced your blood sugar is over time, and how well your treatment plan is working. The American Diabetes Association recommends an A1C goal below 7% for many people with diabetes. Talk to your doctor about the A1C target that is right for you. TRACKING YOUR CHOLESTEROL Goal cholesterol level: TRACKING YOUR BLOOD SUGAR Goal blood sugar level: DATE LDL (BAD) HDL (GOOD) TOTAL TRIGLYCERIDES MG/DL MG/DL MG/DL MG/DL DATE A1C RESULT PERCENT

4 KNOW YOUR WEIGHT Losing as few as 10 pounds can reduce your risk of heart disease. Losing weight can be tough, but remembering the mantra eat less, move more can help you start to lose weight and keep it off. KNOW YOUR MEDICATIONS Use the chart below to track your medications. This can help you follow your treatment plan and be well. Our team is happy to talk to you about a diet and/or exercise program that s right for you. At Mercy Health, we have many different options to help you achieve your weight loss goals that range from nutrition counseling to medically supervised weight loss to surgical weight loss to comprehensive exercise facilities. We will help you determine your body mass index (BMI). It uses your height and weight to measure the amount of fat you have in your body. Visit to determine your BMI. BMI CATEGORY 18.5 to 24.9 Normal weight 25.0 to 29.9 Overweight Greater than 30 Obese TRACKING YOUR WEIGHT TRACKING YOUR MEDICATIONS Goal weight: DATE WEIGHT BMI NAME OF MEDICATION DOSAGE FREQUENCY

5 LIVING HEALTHIER We welcome the opportunity to partner with you so that we can monitor your cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar levels and weight. If you smoke, talk to our team about ways to quit. Mercy Health offers support for smokers who want to quit McAuley Place Cincinnati, Ohio /2012 1,000 MD DG