February is Heart Health Month, and Dr. Emily Ruden has created some initiatives to educate women on preventative methods for heart disease..
Ruden, a cardiologist who runs the Women’s Heart Clinic at Hamilton Heart in Noblesville, offers a prevention clinic for women who may not have heart disease but possibly have risk factors.
Women’s Heart Clinic is affiliated with Riverview Health.
“Women’s Heart Month is a campaign that’s been around for a while now to get the word out,” Ruden said. “Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of women and tends to be a silent disease until it’s not. Women are typically the last to take care of themselves. They take care of everyone else and don’t think about their risk and health until everyone else is taken care of.”
Ruden said common risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking. To help prevent heart disease, she said the most important thing is to quit smoking. She recommends meeting with a primary care doctor to talk about heart disease when women reach their late 40s or early 50s.
Despite the preventative measures, Ruden said there’s no heart test that fits all.
“Have that conversation with your primary care provider or cardiologist to figure out the right kind of testing,” Ruden said. “It depends on if you’re having symptoms and what risk factors you have to determine the right kind of testing.”
For more or to schedule a visit to Ruden’s prevention clinic, call 317-773-7711.
CHECK YOUR HEART
Riverview Health offers the following screening options for those concerned about their heart health:
Heart scan: This scan is $49 and offered to men older than 35 and women older than 40. For more, or to schedule an appointment, visit riverview.org/heartscan.
Vascular Screening Package: This screening package is $79 and includes a carotid artery screening, an abdominal aortic aneurysm screening and an ankle brachial index test. For more or to schedule an appointment, visit riverview.org/vascularpackage.
