Check Your Heart

HOUSTON - FOX 26 is teaming up with the American Heart Association and many local hospitals to get the word out that Heart Disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women.

In fact, a local doctor tells us cardiovascular disease kills more people than all types of cancers combined, car accidents, respiratory diseases, diabetes, and neurological diseases.

He says we all need to realize that most people are going to die from heart disease!

Dr. David McPherson says he feels privileged to serve as the Medical Director of the Heart & Vascular Institute at Memorial Hermann Hospital and the President of the Greater Houston American Heart Association.

He says this job helps him educate a lot of people about how to prevent heart disease. He walked us step-by-step through a series of medical tests, as doctors try to find out why a local woman was having chest pain.

We got to see her undergo several ultrasounds and a stress test on a treadmill, and even a PET CT scan of her heart. She was concerned that she had been suffering chest pain on and off for about a year.

At the end of the day, doctors gave her the "all clear" to train for a 1/2 marathon. Dr. McPherson tells us exercise and eating healthy are the best ways to prevent heart disease.

Typical warning signs of a heart problem can include: chest discomfort, shortness of breath, even fatigue and depression in women.

Click here for a complete list of heart disease symptoms

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