CARDIOVASCULAR WELLNESS- HEART HEALTH AND BLOOD PRESSURE

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THE BASICS

• American Heart Association: Health information on cardiovascular health and stroke topics.
• Basic Facts About High Blood Pressure: A short summary of what blood pressure levels mean, the risk factors for developing high blood pressure, and how to lower blood pressure.
• Basic Facts About Stroke: Summary of the signs and symptoms of stroke, and what you can do to lower your risk of having a stroke.
• Chronic Venous Insufficiency: The Society for Vascular Surgery has a helpful webpage on CVI, which includes information on causes, symptoms, testing, and treatment.
• Consequences of High Blood Pressure: Learn why high blood pressure is called the "silent killer."
• Coronary Artery Disease Overview: Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Find out what symptoms to watch for, and how to prevent coronary artery disease from developing.
• Heart Attack, Stroke, and Cardiac Arrest Warning Signs: The American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute have launched a new "Act in Time" campaign to increase people's awareness of heart attack and the importance of calling 9-1-1 immediately at the onset of heart attack symptoms.
• Heart Valve Problems: Comprehensive overview from InteliHealth including an explanation of the different types heart valve problems, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, instructions on when to call a professional, and prognosis. (And find even more resources on valve disorders at  MedlinePlus.)
• HeartHub for Patients: This website is the American Heart Association’s patient portal for information, tools, and resources about cardiovascular disease and stroke.
• High Blood Pressure- Every Step Counts: Comprehensive overview of what high blood pressure is, why high blood pressure is a health risk, and what steps to take to prevent and treat high blood pressure.
• High Blood Pressure- The Silent Killer: Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, or kidney failure. Find out how to control high blood pressure.
• High Blood Pressure and Kidney Disease: The kidneys play a key role in keeping a person’s blood pressure in a healthy range, and blood pressure, in turn, can affect the health of the kidneys. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, can damage the kidneys and lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD).
• High-Sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) test: Explains the purpose of the test in plain language and provides reference ranges and their significance.  
• In Brief- Your Guide to a Healthy Heart: A short overview of the risk factors for heart disease and the lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risks.
• Learn all about Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) from MedlinePlus; includes tips on prevention.
• Learn more about Stress Testing with this MedlinePlus interactive module.
• MGH Heart Center News- Heart Disease in Women: Dispelling the Myths: Women may think of heart disease as a "man's disease," but in fact heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over age 20. Learn the facts about how heart disease affects women.
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Electronic resources on blood, sleep disorders, and diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood.
• Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack: If you have heart disease, monitor your health closely for danger signs such as fluid retention, difficulty breathing, extreme tiredness, and dizziness.
• Stroke: High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke. About 780,000 Americans will have a new or recurrent stroke this year — and about 150,000 of them will die. Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in the U.S. It’s also a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Many people mistakenly think of stroke as an "old person’s disease." But thousands of strokes occur in people under age 65.  
• The American Heart Association website also has an extensive section on Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).
• What is Coronary Artery Disease?: Information on Coronary Artery Disease including causes, risk factors, prevention, signs & symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Provides helpful visual aids as well as links to more information on the web.
• What is High Blood Pressure?: One in four Americans has high blood pressure, but often it has no obvious symptoms. Learn why it is important to track blood pressure levels.

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RISK FACTORS & PREVENTION

• Diet & Lifestyle Recommendations: A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to fight cardiovascular disease. It’s not as hard as you may think!  Remember, it's the overall pattern of your choices that counts. Make these simple steps part of your life for long-term benefits to your health and your heart. Follow American Heart Association's recommendations and make these simple steps part of your life.
• For Your Heart: Provides women with a personalized series of articles detailing the latest information on exercise, nutrition, smoking, diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure and other factors that affect women and their risk for heart disease - all tailored to meet the needs of each individual.
• Heart Disease and Heart Attacks- What Women Need to Know: Heart attack symptoms may not be the same as symptoms in men. Find out about heart symptoms in women, what you can do to prevent heart disease, and whether estrogen replacement therapy reduces heart disease risk.
• Heart Health Community Site: Blog posts, discussion boards, news, images, and videos on heart health.
• High Blood Pressure Health Risk Calculator: Enter your blood pressure numbers to: Understand your health risks, get quick answers to common questions about blood pressure, learn how lifestyle changes can lower blood pressure and your health risks, and get a printout to use at your next doctor's appointment. 
• Hypertension Risk Factors: High blood pressure has many risk factors. Some you can't control, but many you can.
• Latino Cardiovascular Health Resources offers bilingual patient information and heart-healthy Latino recipes.
• Maintain a Heart Healthy Lifestyle: Lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk of having a heart attack. (To view video, please click on "Maintain a Heart Healthy Lifestyle.")
• Move to Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure: How 30 minutes of physical activity a day can help reduce high blood pressure. Includes practical examples of how to get started and tips to help you stick with your physical activity program.
• National Women's Health Information Center: Heart disease information written especially for women on the NHLBI website.
• Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure- Mission Possible: African-Americans are most likely to develop high blood pressure than any other racial or ethnic group. Learn how to control and prevent high blood pressure.
• Risk Factors and Coronary Heart Disease: Discusses both inherited risk factors that can’t be changed and the numerous risk factors that can be addressed and diminished through lifestyle modifications.
• Stroke Risk Factors: Describes what risk factors can not be changed as well as the risk factors that you can change, treat, or control.
• Vascular Disease- How to Prevent Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Attack, and Stroke: Brief definitions of vascular disease, coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke, and preventative measures to take.

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MEDICATIONS & TREATMENT

• Blood-Pressure Lowering Drugs: Gives general information on BP meds including ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and more.
• Blood Pressure Medications: There are many different medications to help control blood pressure.
• Heart Attack- Get Help Fast: Find out what symptoms may signal a heart attack, and how some of these symptoms may differ in women. Prompt treatment can be lifesaving.
• Heart Disease and Medications: Sometimes, medications may be needed to help prevent or control coronary heart disease (CHD) and so reduce the risk of a first or repeat heart attack. But, if medications are needed, lifestyle changes still must be undertaken.
• High Blood Pressure- Things You Can Do to Help Lower Yours: Summary of what high blood pressure means and how it can be treated, from medications to lifestyle changes such as weight loss, exercise, smoking cessation, and improving your diet.
• High Blood Pressure Heart Profiler: The American Heart Association has interactive tools that can help you participate in decisions about your blood pressure treatment.
• In Brief- Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH: The DASH diet has been proven to lower blood pressure. This diet empasizes eating healthy foods such as more fruits and vegetables, grains, low-fat milk products, and healthy fats, while cutting down on salt, unhealthy fats, and red meats.
• Monitor Your Blood Pressure at Home: How to take your blood pressure at home to help your doctor monitor your blood pressure levels.
• Talk with Your Health Care Provider About High Blood Pressure: Brief overview of why blood pressure is dangerous, what to do to control it, and how to consult with your medical provider about controlling your blood pressure.
• Treatments for a Heart Attack: It is crucial to get medical help immediately to start lifesaving treatments ranging from medications to surgical procedures.
• Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure: A complete illustrated guide to everything you need to know about controlling your blood pressure- from losing weight through diet and exercise, to following the DASH eating plan for better heart health.
• Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure: Includes information on detection, prevention, and treatment, plus a special section on women’s issues.

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