Heart disease -- learn about it in February, fight it the rest of the year

Heart disease, heart health, cardiovascular risk factors ... the terms will appear in infinite variety this month, as will the color red. If you don’t know why (Valentine’s Day is only part of the reason), you haven’t been paying attention: February is American Heart Month and the American Heart Assn. has ramped up its Go Red for Women campaign. If you have been paying attention, good -- we can move on to more specific information.

The point of the dual observances, of course, is to underscore the fact that cardiovascular disease claims about 2,200 lives a day in the United States. That leads us to the importance of leading a heart-healthy life.

This collection of articles helps explain what doctors are doing, and what you can do, to keep your heart as healthy as possible. Here you’ll find the seven guidelines for heart health (in photo form): the effect, or lack thereof, of the U.S. health system on heart disease; the difference between cardiac arrest and a heart attack; tips on how to detect a heart attack ... and more, much more.

Risk factors for heart disease abound -- diet, exercise, weight and other lifestyle factors all play a role, as do disease and genetics. It’s also important to know the signs of impending problems; cardiovascular disease is often silently worsening as time goes on. So please, check out this gallery.

You don’t want to see red for nothing.