Shreveport cardiologist discusses heart disease & heart health

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease is the world’s number one cause of death. The disease kills over 17 million people every year.

Awareness about heart health and heart conditions can go a long way to reduce this number. Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport’s Dr. Tarek Helmy sat down with KSLA on Tuesday, Feb. 28 to discuss the disease.

He says the likelihood of developing heart disease depends on age, sex, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and genetics.

“Prevention means that we get ahead of the game. And if we wait for symptoms, we’ve missed the ball a little bit. Symptoms of heart disease, we need to be very aware of because the earlier we catch a problem the easier it is to manage.”

Helmy says typical symptoms for heart disease include: chest pain or chest pressure, shortness of breath, inability to do what you normally do, reduced exercise tolerance, swelling in the legs, palpitations and passing out.

MORE FROM THE KSLA CAFE>>

Copyright 2023 KSLA. All rights reserved.