Stopping a Preventable Killer: Mount Sinai Cardiologists Stress Prevention for American Heart Month
Physicians announce new research on sleep and heart disease, and expansion of heart services in New York City
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States, but according to the American Heart Association, it is preventable 80 percent of the time. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 610,000 people die from heart disease every year, accounting for one in every four deaths. February is American Heart Month, and cardiologists from the Mount Sinai Health System are sharing tips on prevention and lowering risk.
“It takes decades for heart disease to develop, so the earlier we can detect risk factors and diagnose, the sooner we can intervene to prevent a possible heart attack or stroke,” says Suzanne R. Steinbaum, DO, Director of Women’s Cardiovascular Prevention, Health, and Wellness at The Mount Sinai Hospital. “It’s important to make your doctor your partner in health when being treated for heart disease. Make sure to communicate how you’re feeling and the times you take your medication, along with giving details on your diet and exercise and stress to ensure the best possible management and treatment of the condition.”
Everyone is at risk of heart disease, but people are more susceptible to getting the disease if they have high cholesterol or blood pressure, smoke, are overweight, and don’t exercise or eat a healthy diet. Age is also a factor, specifically for women over 65 and men older than 55. Those with a family history of heart disease are also at higher risk, as are those who sleep less than six hours a night. But illness can be prevented by taking simple steps towards a healthier lifestyle.
Mount Sinai Research Links Lack of Sleep to Heart Disease
People who sleep less than 6 hour a night, or have fragmented sleep could be at higher risk of atherosclerosis, according to a new study published in the Journal of The American College of Cardiology. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) can lead to the development of coronary artery disease, a major cause of heart attack and stroke.
Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, and a team of researchers monitored the sleep of 3,974 patients over the course of seven nights (average age 46; 62 percent men). Investigators used 3-D vascular ultrasounds and to analyze blood flow through the blood vessels. They discovered those who slept less than six hours a night had more accumulation of plaque in their arteries when compared to those who slept between seven and eight hours a night. The study also showed those who had interrupted sleep also had more arterial plaque when compared to patients who slept through the night.
“We’re detecting disease in its earliest stages in apparently healthy young people,” said Dr. Valentin Fuster. “This is something that was done only at autopsy until now. This is an alarm system, telling you that there is another cardiovascular risk factor you should pay attention to.”
Tips for Lowering Risk
- Know your family history
- Be aware of five key numbers cited by the American Heart Association: blood pressure, total cholesterol, HDL (or “good”) cholesterol, body mass index, and fasting glucose levels
- Maintain a healthy diet, eating nutrient-rich food and eliminating sweets
- Limit alcohol consumption to no more than one drink per day
- Quit smoking
- Watch your weight and exercise regularly
- Learn the warning signs of heart attack and stroke, including chest discomfort; shortness of breath; pain in arms, back, neck, or jaw; breaking out in a cold sweat; and lightheadedness
Mount Sinai Heart Expands State-of-the-Art Services to Upper West Side
Mount Sinai Heart has expanded its services at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The newly opened Center for Clinical Cardiovascular Care at Mount Sinai Heart offers comprehensive care, including cardiovascular disease prevention, general cardiology, and cardiac and vascular surgery. Doctors from multiple cardiovascular subspecialties work together to diagnose, treat, and provide follow-up care to patients in one location, enhancing patient care and the patient experience. The center also has state-of-the-art cardiac imaging to help identify conditions with greater accuracy.
The Center for Clinical Cardiovascular Care at Mount Sinai Heart is one of the only centers in the country specializing in multi-arterial coronary bypass surgery. Because we use predominantly arterial grafts, instead of the vein grafts performed in 95 percent of cases across the country, patients see longer results and greater benefits. Additionally, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s specializes in minimally invasive robotic coronary bypass surgery.
“This is the only center on the West Side of Manhattan to offer minimally invasive robotic coronary bypass surgery, which allows for a quicker recovery and nearly invisible scars,” says John D. Puskas, MD, Chair of Cardiovascular Surgery at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Professor of Cardiovascular Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Patients on the Upper West Side need access to these services, and now they have a convenient location that offers exemplary, individualized care.”
For more information about the Center for Clinical Cardiovascular Care at Mount Sinai Heart see the link below:
http://www.mountsinai.org/locations/ms-heart-114
For more information on Mount Sinai Heart see the link below:
https://www.mountsinai.org/care/heart
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Receives Prestigious Award from City of Barcelona, Spain
Jan 23, 2023 View All Press Releases