关于心脏健康，十几岁的女孩(和她们的父母)应该知道的5件事

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在许多十几岁的女孩中，心形是交流的主要内容. 心形的表情符号在他们的短信上加标点，心形的手在社交媒体上为他们的自拍配上边框.

但很少有女孩认为她的心脏是至关重要的器官, 循环系统的中心, 为身体供血供氧，保证身体正常运转.

虽然对大多数年轻女孩来说，良好的心脏健康可能是理所当然的, adolescent health experts say there's still plenty that teenage girls should know about taking care of their ticker.

这里有五件事可以让他们开始:

无论是好是坏，心脏健康现在就开始了

Habits and lifestyle behaviors established in adolescence – such as staying physically active and eating a healthy diet, 或不-可以把一个人的道路上的好或坏的心血管健康, 儿科心脏病专家Dr. 特蕾莎修女李.

“早点开始总是最好的,李说。, who also is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. "You want to try to prevent cardiovascular disease, as opposed to having to treat it later. The choices and the habits developed in early childhood and adolescence really determine health and well-being for years to come."

研究表明，动脉粥样硬化, 动脉硬化由于斑块的形成而导致的动脉硬化, 可以开始发展 早在青春期. 硬, 或缩小, 动脉阻塞血液流动，可能导致心脏病发作, 中风或其他问题. 不健康的饮食, 吸烟, 久坐的生活方式, 肥胖和超重会导致高胆固醇, 是动脉粥样硬化的主要危险因素, 心脏病和中风.

根据 美国心脏协会统计数据 青少年可以表现出各种各样的心血管危险因素, 包括血压升高, 烟草制品的使用, 高胆固醇, 缺乏身体活动, 肥胖和不健康的饮食.

"The rapid weight gain some teens have due to diets high in junk food and low physical activity levels really sets them up for challenges with weight for the rest of their lives, 这绝对会影响他们的心脏吗,”医生说。. Judith Simms-Cendan, director of the division of pediatric adolescent gynecology at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. “久坐不动的青少年通常睡眠模式也很差, 这也会影响他们的心脏健康."

美国心脏协会鼓励年轻人也这样做 健康的行为 众所周知，保持成年人心脏健康的方法是:保持身体活动, 吃高纤维的食物, 水果和蔬菜，低脂肪, 保持健康的体重, 晚上睡个好觉，不吸烟或使用烟草制品, 包括电子烟.

Organized sports, dance teams or exercise classes are good places to start, Simms-Cendan说.

"参加体育活动, 不管你是不是竞技运动员, 能让你有一个更好的心脏未来吗,她说.

倾听你的心声

而大多数青少年都有健康的心脏, it's important to notice signs or symptoms that something could be amiss – and speak to someone about it, 李说.

例如, "if there's ever something you were able to do that all of a sudden you are unable to do,“这可能预示着一个问题, 她说. “你是你自己最好的预测者."

埃弗拉塔的希拉·西格尔, 宾西法尼亚, thought her heart was fine until she collapsed while getting dressed the day after her first high school dance.

“心脏病与你的年龄无关,齐格说。, 谁14岁时突发心脏病, 她心脏上有个洞，她自己都不知道. “我在其他方面都很健康，但我感受到的痛苦难以形容."

现年23岁的西格尔是美国心脏协会“为女性加油”运动的志愿者. She said teenage girls shouldn't hesitate to ask health care professionals questions about their heart and to listen to their hearts. “你可以听到不规则的心跳，”也被称为心律失常，她说. 青少年应该明白这意味着什么. 这是很好的基本信息."

心律不规律的发生有很多原因，可能不会引起恐慌, 但是应该检查一下. Zeager said the hole in her heart caused a murmur that could have been detected with a stethoscope. 她说:“我真希望我知道该问。.

李说，其他青少年也可以很好地衡量出哪里出了问题.

“如果你注意到的话, 和你的同龄人相比, 你不能把事情做得很好, 尤其是体力活动, 如果随着线上电子游戏飞禽走兽的推移病情恶化,“这可能是你和父母或医疗团队讨论的事情, 她说.

Even if all seems well, "there's never a wrong time" to ask questions about heart health, 李说. Wellness visits are a great time to talk about ways to promote good cardiovascular health and address any risk factors.

怀孕会影响你的心脏

"Pregnancy is a big stress for anybody, and it's a big stress especially on the heart,李说.

怀孕的青少年患先兆子痫的风险很高, 高血压一种会导致高血压的疾病.

Pregnancy can be especially problematic if a teen has an underlying congenital heart defect or cardiovascular risk factors, 比如高血压或肥胖, 哪些会导致妊娠并发症.

“对于有潜在心脏病的女孩来说，某些形式的避孕更安全,西姆斯-森丹说. 她说，用黄体酮避孕是更安全的选择.

而含有雌激素的避孕药可能对健康女孩更安全, 那些有潜在心脏问题和危险因素的人, 比如无法控制的高血压, 应该避免使用, Simms-Cendan说. “在这些女孩中，它们可能会增加血压和其他并发症."

"A lot of the girls with the highest risk of unplanned pregnancy affecting their heart are not receiving contraceptive counseling,西姆斯-森丹说. "A real gap in care is making sure if you have underlying heart disease and are considering being sexually active, 你可以采取安全的避孕措施. 如果你真的怀孕了，立即寻求产前护理."

有些事情可能感觉像心脏病，但不是

A rapid heartbeat could be a sign of heart trouble, but it might not be, Simms-Cendan说. 这可能是焦虑的表现, which has increased in prevalence among teens and adolescents since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“当青少年焦虑时，他们的心跳加速，”她说. “这感觉很可怕，但如果他们的心脏是健康的，他们就没有危险."

然而，她说，还是应该检查一下. 如果是焦虑，就应该治疗.

Mental health issues can affect every system in the body, Simms-Cendan说, including the heart. “它们会影响你的能量水平和锻炼的欲望. 如果你很沮丧，你就不想多动. 抑郁的青少年也会把睡觉作为一种逃避. 他们可能整天躺在床上."

父母可以发挥重要作用

对父母来说，与青少年谈论心脏健康是一项挑战. 但如果他们想让孩子养成健康的习惯, 他们应该做的第一件事就是以身作则, Lee和Simms-Cendan说.

"Teenagers are not always receptive to hearing advice or critiques about eating or sleeping habits from the adults in their life,李说. “老实说, I think one of the best things parents can do is mirror a healthy lifestyle and healthy choices."

"You can't talk to a teen about doing things if you're not doing them yourself,西姆斯-森丹说. “如果你的孩子正在与体重作斗争, telling them to not drink soda or eat junk if you have it in your house is not going to work.

"If you are concerned about their weight or blood pressure or diabetes and you want them to become healthier, 你必须做你该做的,她说. “不要把不健康的食物放在家里."

Simms-Cendan suggested parents take their teenagers with them when they go grocery shopping so they can select healthy foods that they like. 她说，一起散步是树立健康行为榜样的另一种方式.

"Ask them to go for walks but understand that sometimes they'd rather listen to music than talk. 让他们留着耳机吧，”她说. 如果他们不想这么做? “问他们想做什么来保持健康."