DES MOINES, Iowa — It’s the leading cause of death in America for both men and women and it’s responsible for one in every five deaths — heart disease.

“There’s a reason why they call it the silent killer,” said Wesley Franklin, Community Impact Director for the American Heart Association.  

Despite its significance on our health and mortality, it can also be one of the hardest diseases to detect early in patients.  

“The heart is such an important organ; it’s always pumping blood to your other organs,” said Dr. Edward Rojas, Cardiologist at UnityPoint Health.  

However, despite its challenges, some major risk factors can be identified for heart disease.  

“One of the huge risk factors that we really want to tackle is hypertension … So, knowing your blood pressure numbers is very key and that’s something that we highlight during Heart Month,” said Franklin.

Hypertension affects roughly half of Americans, and if left untreated, it can have serious impacts, like stroke, vision loss, and lead to coronary artery disease.

“Coronary artery disease is basically an accumulation of cholesterol in the artery, the walls of the arteries,” said Rojas. “Once the cholesterol gets deposited inside of the arteries, this is going to start an inflammatory response there.”

Rojas says this then leads to swelling and makes it harder for blood to flow through the arteries and into the heart.

“One of the early symptoms of having coronary artery disease would be breathing difficulty or chest pressure … So, if you start seeing these symptoms that are induced by exercise, that would be a red flag,” said Rojas.  

If that plaque hardens and continues to build over time, blood flow can be blocked, and lead to a heart attack. Rojas says “That’s the most dangerous form of this disease, because if you have blood flow coming into the heart and then suddenly there’s no blood flow at all, then that can lead to abnormal rhythms, and that’s how people die suddenly from this.” 

And while lifestyle choices like smoking and excessive drinking can play into our heart health.

Some steps can be taken to help combat heart disease.  

“Heart disease is 80% controllable. So, staying on top of your fitness, watching what you eat, all that plays even down to stress management,” said Wesley. 

But an entire lifestyle change is often easier said than done.  

“That’s the issue that it requires a lot of consistency and willpower to start and maintain this lifestyle in the long term,” said Rojas.  

This means a balance between lifestyle and screenings with medical professionals is key to living a heart-healthy lifestyle.  

“You know, I always say it takes a village. That doctor is one piece of your village there. But having support from the AHA, other community leaders of our family, and friends all play into your heart health,” said Wesley