February is American Heart Month, the time of year when we shine a light on risk factors for heart disease and stroke, prevention strategies, and discuss the latest research and developments in clinical interventions.
In this month’s Chair's Spotlight, we interview Dr. Brigid Carlson, Clinician and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at UMass Memorial Health (UMMH) and UMass Chan Medical School (UMass Chan), and discuss the importance of hearth health awareness, particularly in women versus men, evidence-based prevention strategies, and recent studies on heart health.
“There’s a lot of risk factors that affect both [men and women],” said Dr. Carlson. “The main ones people know about: smoking, diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol. [For] those, the identification and treatment are the same. For women, there are certainly unique ones that not everyone thinks about…Particularly, risk factors during pregnancy–having a history of gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hypertension, pre-eclampsia…I think young women are quite aware that [they] effect their pregnancy risk but might not be aware that [they] also increase their long-term risk.”
On strategies for raising heart health awareness, Dr. Carlson talked about the annual Heart Walk events in Worcester and Boston, and the important role of cardiovascular disease survivors who share their stories at these events. “… the more that the individual patient, particularly…from diverse backgrounds share their story with the community, then I think the individual patient is going to be more motivated to find out their risk factors to make changes for themselves”, said Dr. Carlson. “I think hearing from a real patient with it…is all the more meaningful.”
Dr. Carlson earned her medical degree at the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and completed a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics as well as a fellowship in cardiology at UMass Chan. She is currently a clinician specializing in coronary artery disease, coronary critical care, and non-invasive cardiology at UMMH, and a member of the Clinical Competence Committee for the UMass Cardiology Fellowship.
Learn more about the American Heart Associate Heart Walk June 2022 – Worcester, MA.