BUFFALO, N.Y. — According to the American Heart Association Heart Disease is the top cause of death among women and accounts for about 1 in every 5 deaths. However, some of those statistics are higher in Black women. The American Heart Association stated more than 59% of Black women over the age of 20 have Cardiovascular Disease.
"I started noticing I was very fatigued and short of breath," said Dawn Trotter. "I started having like abnormal swelling in my legs, in my hands."
At just 32-years-old, Dawn Trotter said she received news that changed her life forever.
"I got diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure and maybe two years after that I had to have a pacemaker put in with a defibrillator," said Trotter. "So, I've been living with congestive heart failure for the last 10 or 12 years."
"They were telling me that I had a heart of a 90-year-old woman and they actually gave me a year to live," Trotter continued. "I was lost. I felt like I was too young."
However, Dr. Kenyani Davis, MD, MPH and Chief Medical Officer at Community Health Centers of Buffalo said when it comes to heart health, not only are Black women dying at disproportionately high rates compared to their white counterparts, according to the CDC, more are being impacted earlier.
"6.5% of all Black women actually have Coronary Artery Disease before the age of 20 years old," said Davis. "Which means that when you start talking about cardiovascular risk factors in African American women, we're having this conversation when you're in your 20s."
Davis said many risk factors are attributed to underlying diseases that are more prevalent in Black communities like obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes.
"Now diabetes we call a risk equivalent meaning if you have diabetes, your risk of having a heart attack is the same risk as somebody who has already had a heart attack or is working on their second heart attack," said Davis.
Davis also said High Blood Pressure is a major cause of heart attacks and stroke but there are ways to prevent it.
"If you can just modify the hypertension you can significant reduce the number pf heart attacks and strokes you have in a population," said Davis. "Why that's important is because the African American population is over burden with hypertension. So something as simple as just going for your annual visit, or going to the doctor, or routinely just randomly checking your blood pressure, those are all, those are the most important steps."
Both Davis and Trotter said it shouldn’t matter how busy you are or how many others are relying on you to be strong, managing your health has to be a priority.
"We always think it's something else," said Trotter. "Like oh I'm feeling tired but that can only be because I've been working too much or I'm feeling really fatigued or maybe short of breath but just please listen to your body."
Davis said heart health is lifestyle health. She said what you eat, drink, smoke and even how you manage mental health can take a toll on your heart but with the right changes, it can be prevented.
