According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, someone in the United States dies from cardiovascular disease every 33 seconds. However, many of us will not be able to recognize the early warning signs of this disease or know who is at risk.

To debunk some of the most common misconceptions about heart disease, newsweek We spoke with Dr. Haider Wallreich, a cardiologist at Harvard University and a physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Do you feel high blood pressure?

“One of the important things to remember is that many of the risk factors for heart disease can be completely silent,” says Warraich, author of the book. state of mindSaid newsweek. “Sometimes conditions like high cholesterol and diabetes don’t cause symptoms until they cause a heart attack or other emergency.

“While many people may believe they can ‘feel’ their blood pressure, the reality is that for the vast majority of people, high blood pressure causes no symptoms and can go completely undetected if not tested. I’ll put it away.”

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are all major risk factors for heart disease, as is an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol consumption, and obesity. And contrary to popular belief, heart disease is not just a men’s problem.

Does heart disease primarily affect men?

“A lot of people don’t know this, but heart disease is also the most common cause of death for women,” Waraich said. “In fact, when women have a heart attack, they are more likely to suffer a worse outcome than men. One reason for this is that their symptoms may not be taken seriously by themselves or their medical team. Because women need as much attention as their hearts do to their health as men. ”

Is chest pain the only symptom of a heart attack?

When it comes to heart attacks, knowing the symptoms can help you get early treatment to minimize damage to your heart muscle and maximize your chances of recovery. “Heart disease can cause a range of very common symptoms, not just chest pain,” Warraich says. “First, many people who have had a heart attack say they feel pressure in their chest, not pain. Pain that radiates down the arm is also a sign of a heart attack.”

Heart attack symptoms may also be different for men and women. For example, women may also experience nausea, lightheadedness, and fatigue, according to the CDC.

Finally, you should be selective about who you ask for education and advice about heart health. “There is a lot of misinformation on the internet about heart health and heart medications such as statins, mostly spread by people with ulterior motives,” Warreich said. “While there are many benefits to searching for health information on the internet and elsewhere, you should be careful to use reliable sources and discuss everything openly with your healthcare team.

“Modern medicine means that many, if not most, cases of heart disease are preventable. And even if you do develop heart disease, including serious conditions such as heart failure, People can live longer and do what they love for longer because they work closely with medical teams. ”

Do you have a health concern? Do you have questions about heart disease? Let us know at health@newsweek.com. You can ask experts for advice and your story could be featured. newsweek.