January 24th, 2012

According to the CDC, a five-county area in Northeastern PA which includes Luzerne, Lackwanna, Sullivan, Wyoming and Columbia counties, have the highest rates of heart disease death in the Commonwealth.

One of the risk factors they feel are a contributing factor is smoking. The WB/Scranton area was ranked 2nd among 30 cities with high smoking rates according to the Daily Beast.

Other risk factors include poor diets, lack of exercise, high levels of stress and most importantly family history. Dr. Thomas Isaacson, chief of Cardiology at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, suggest speaking with your physician to determine your risk for heart disease. More information in today’s Wilkes-Barre Citizen’s Voice.