Harlem woman shares heart health scare to help others
NEW YORK - State health data shows Harlem has higher rates of heart disease than any other neighborhood in New York City. This National Wear Red Day, one woman shares her health scare in hopes of helping others.
"Initially, I thought I was having an asthma attack," Andrea Mapp recalled.
Last year, Mapp worked herself so hard at her two jobs, she developed an abnormal heartbeat, known as Atrial Fibrillation, or AFib. She finally went to the urgent care after weeks of not being able to breathe.
"I learned the hard way," she said. "I learned that it wasn't asthma. It was AFib and that my heart was at 10% functioning."
Mapp was days away from cardiac arrest.
"Cardiovascular disease is actually the leading cause of death in women in the United States," said Mount Sinai Morningside Cardiology Fellow Dr. Basera Sabharwal. "Most people don't know that."
Dr. Sabharwal got Mapp's condition under control. She says women of color have higher rates of heart disease due to genetics and lifestyles, but many cases go undiagnosed, mainly because women often present different symptoms than men.
"They may complain about shortness of breath or abdominal discomfort, nausea, extreme fatigue," said Sabharwal.
Mount Sinai's annual Go Red event encourages women to check their heart health, especially this year. The past two years, the event was canceled due to the pandemic and many missed the critical connection to care. Combined with less movement and more appointment cancelations, doctors saw disease rates reverse direction.
"They only came when something was severe enough to get them to the hospital," Sabharwal explained, "which put a setback to a lot of people's health."
Through careful monitoring, Mapp has since lost 30 pounds and welcomed her first grandchild into the world.
"My sons and her was my motivation to make sure that I'm here," Mapp said.
She has also grown used to the major changes to her exercise and diet.
"I have a Fitbit," she said. "I monitor all my walking and things like that."
"I don't mind salad," she added. "Got used to grilled chicken, not as much fried. You learn to trick the body a little bit."
If you are feeling stressed, Mapp advises you to slow down a beat and make better choices.
"Take that extra minute," she said, "so you can have an extra day."
Mount Sinai emphasizes that while half a million women die each year from heart disease or stroke, 80% of those deaths are preventable.
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