Health Profile

In 2021, heart disease was the leading cause of death in Seneca County. It is also the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The term “heart disease” refers to several types of heart conditions. In the United States, the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to a heart attack.

Sometimes heart disease may be silent and not diagnosed until a person experiences signs or symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure, or an arrhythmia. When these events happen, symptoms may include:

• Heart Attack: Chest pain or discomfort, upper back or neck pain, indigestion, heartburn, nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue, upper body discomfort, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
• Arrhythmia: Fluttering feelings in the chest (palpitations).
• Heart failure: Shortness of breath, fatigue, or swelling of the feet, ankles, legs, abdomen, or neck veins.

High blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. About half of people in the United States (47%) have at least one of these three risk factors, according to the CDC. Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including:

• Diabetes
• Being overweight or obese
• Unhealthy diet
• Physical inactivity
• Excessive alcohol use

To help prevent heart disease:

1. Choose healthy food and drinks
2. Keep a healthy weight
3. Get regular physical activity
4. Don’t smoke

Talk – Talk openly and honestly to your partner(s) and your healthcare provider about sexual health and STDs.

Test – Get tested. It’s the only way to know for sure if you have an STD.

Treat – If you test positive for an STD, work with your healthcare provider to get the correct treatment.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20 percent of the U.S. population – approximately one in five people in the U.S. – had an STD on any given day in 2018, and STDs acquired that year cost the American health care system nearly $16 billion in health care costs alone.  Preliminary data indicate reported STDs in the U.S. dropped as clinics and healthcare offices closed due to the pandemic, then resurged when they reopened.

Andrea Barrell, Nursing Division Director at the Seneca County General Health District, said STD case numbers in Seneca county vary from month to month, but the one that has remained most prevalent is Chlamydia. In 2021, there were a total of 203 Chlamydia cases, she said.

Barrell said males and females are equally affected by Chlamydia. The age of those who contract the infection varies, but it seems to greatly affect those in their twenties, she said.

Barrell said Chlamydia is treatable, and like many STDs, can be asymptomatic.

“You can have it and not have symptoms,” she said. “That’s why testing is important. If you’re sexually active, don’t be afraid to seek testing and treatment. If you have an STD, you will remain infectious to others until you get that treatment.”

Barrell said that in 2021, there were 41 cases of Gonorrhea, another treatable STD.

Several testing sites are available in Northwest Ohio, Barrell said, including at the Seneca County General Health District’s Reproductive Health Clinic. The clinical services are provided by the Sandusky County Health Department and are held Mondays in Tiffin. Appointments can be made by calling 1-800-524-7171 or (419) 334-6355.

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