Heart of the matter: Alaska's cardiovascular health.

• Author: Sommer, Susan
• Position: HEALTH & MEDICINE

Besides being famous, Jerry Garcia, Mother Theresa, Dick Cheney and b Larry King have something else in common: they all had heart attacks. Most of us know someone who's suffered from a heart attack or other cardiovascular issue. The good news for Alaskans is that modern cardiac care is available right here in-state. The bad news is that many people struggle with a multitude of risk factors for heart disease.

Put 100 Alaskans together in a room and chances are that 70 don't get enough exercise. Approximately 65 are overweight or obese. High cholesterol plagues 38. About 22 are smokers. Heart attack or stroke will kill 22.

Each year, approximately 700 Alaskans die of cardiovascular disease, which consists of a group of diseases and conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels. Heart attack and stroke are the most common forms.

A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped due to blocked arteries. Cells in that part of the heart die and do not regenerate. Disability or death can result, depending on how much heart muscle is damaged. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel bringing oxygen and nutrients to the brain bursts, or is clogged by a blood clot or some other particle.

Many factors influence heart disease: family history of coronary disease or heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, obesity or being overweight, smoking and being 65 or older. These risks are not mutually exclusive; almost half of Alaskans have two or more of them.

Although mortality from heart disease has been declining in Alaska and nationwide for the past several decades, and the decline has been most dramatic among men, stroke rates in Alaska have shown a gradual increase. The overall stroke rate is higher for women than for men.

Treating cardiovascular disease is expensive. The most recent State of Alaska update on heart disease and stroke reports that hospitalizations for heart disease here cost $515 million in 2007, just over one-third of the total for all hospitalization costs in that year; hospitalizations for stroke cost over $80 million.

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Medical Treatments for Heart Disease

Cardiac patients get the same treatment in Anchorage as they'd get out of state. The only exception is that for very uncommon heart issues, patients would be referred to a doctor specializing in their particular condition.

Diagnosing symptoms such as chest or arm pain...