In an interview with the Health Channel, Dr. Manuel Torres, a Family Medicine Physician at Baptist Health Primary Care, talks about the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States, heart disease. In 2013 heart disease was the cause of 1 in every 4 deaths in men, totaling 321,000 men. Half of the men who die of coronary heart disease die suddenly with no previous symptoms and between 70% and 89% of sudden cardiac events occur in men. 

There’s a lot of factors that play into these statistics. Above all, the physician-patient relationship is essential, especially with your primary care physician. This way you can begin to understand the benefits of preventive medicine. “Cardiovascular preventive medicine is an exploding area of cardiovascular health. Your cardiologist, hopefully, will dedicate some time to you, your primary care physician should especially dedicate time to you, in trying to help you prevent the heart disease,” Dr. Torres explains. Dr. Torres goes on to suggest that the male, “Mr. Testosterone” attitude of not taking health risks seriously may also be playing a role in the death toll. 

Watch the full segment of Dr. Manuel Torres discussing heart disease in men, here: https://youtu.be/1qbgSokcJkk