Heart and Vascular Care
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As the leading cause of death in the U.S., heart disease doesn’t discriminate. But some communities are disproportionately affected.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, 47% of Black adults are diagnosed with heart disease, compared to 36% of white adults. Similarly, they found that
- Fifty-nine percent of Black adults have hypertension (or high blood pressure), the leading risk factor for heart disease. This is the highest prevalence among racial and ethnic groups.
- Black women are twice as likely as white women to develop chronic hypertension during pregnancy, increasing their risk for heart disease later in life.
- Black adults are more likely than white adults to die from hypertension and related diseases.
Dr. Soumya Neravetla, cardiothoracic surgeon, knows, personally and professionally, the challenges people of color face in dealing with heart disease. She’s thought a lot about the challenges her patients and her neighbors in Springfield, Ohio, face. “It’s important to focus on the Black American community because a lot of the incidence issues are related to poverty and socioeconomic disparities that go beyond just race.”
Home is where heart health is
Several things shape our health and well-being: family history and genetics, habits, and even the places we call home.
Known as social determinants of health, these nonmedical, societal, and situational realities that come with our addresses include
- Financial resources
- Quality education and healthcare
- Access to fresh food
- A safe place to live (clean water, safe neighborhoods)
The more difficult it is to have and enjoy these things, the more difficult it is to care for your health. Or as the World Health Organization (WHO) puts it, “In countries at all levels of income, health and illness follow a social gradient: the lower the socioeconomic position, the worse the health.”
One example of this connection between where someone lives and their health is a person’s diet, which Dr. Neravetla stresses as crucial to heart health.
“Part of the reason hypertension is such a big problem for Black Americans is because there’s a socioeconomic issue where they’re more susceptible to unhealthy eating,” she explains. “For example, they may be more likely to eat fast food, buy junk food in the grocery store, or be stuck with a convenience store for their groceries. . . Most of this food is overprocessed and very high in sodium.”
And excess sodium, or salt, is a major cause of hypertension. For Blacks adults, Dr. Neravetla points out, this risk factor is compounded by an increased salt-sensitivity. “So, they are going to have worse complications from processed foods and a high-sodium diet.”
To help, Dr. Neravetla offers a few ways her patients and neighbors can remain aware of and reduce their risks.
Simple steps for a healthier heart
The first is to know your blood pressure. A normal, or healthy, blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mm Hg.
Most drug stores and pharmacies offer free ways to check your blood pressure. Or you can purchase a blood pressure cuff to measure your blood pressure at home.
Exercise is another way to promote heart health, and it can be as simple as walking. Walking helps improve circulation, lower blood pressure, reduce risk of stroke, and strengthen the heart.
It’s also important to be aware of the signs of a heart attack. Watch for symptoms like
- Chest pain or chest pressure
- Pain radiating to the jaw
- Pain shooting down the left shoulder
- Nausea or indigestion (which are especially common in females)
Committed to caring for our community
Care providers like Dr. Neravetla remind us that improving the well-being of our communities happens inside and outside the walls of a doctor’s office. Among many others throughout western Ohio, Kettering Health partners with mission-focused organizations dedicated to improving communities’ well-being, including
A community-centered grocery store offering fresh produce and meat and affordable, quality kitchen staples. Beyond groceries, the market also offers a teaching kitchen for classes and programs on nutrition, a mini health clinic, and a community room
Kettering Health Victor J. Cassano Health Center
The health center supports the underserved population in the Dayton community with healthcare services like primary care, general surgery, orthopedics, internal medicine, and offers a pharmacy, lab, and X-ray services.
Headquartered in Dayton, Homefull is dedicated to addressing poverty through offering affordable housing solutions, increasing access to groceries in communities that lack resources, and providing livable wage opportunities.
