BATON ROUGE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- In recognition of National Heart Health Month, Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) urges Americans to know their heart health numbers and offers downloadable tools on its website that includes questions to ask your doctor about your blood pressure; a video and flyer with heart healthy tips; and a blog discussing the link between women and cardiovascular disease.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in America. In fact, cardiovascular conditions are one of the most common reasons Amedisys patients require home health care. Experts agree that people interested in reducing their risk for cardiovascular disease can do so by first understanding their heart health numbers. The three key numbers you need to know are blood pressure, cholesterol levels and waist size.

Blood pressure consists of two numbers. Your systolic pressure measures the pressure of blood against artery walls when the heart pumps blood out during a heartbeat, while the diastolic pressure measures the same pressure between heartbeats, when the heart is relaxed and fills with blood.

• Normal blood pressure is below 120/80
• Pre-hypertension is 120 to 139 (systolic) and/or 80 to 89 (diastolic)
• Hypertension – also known as high blood pressure -- is 140 or higher (systolic) and 90 or higher (diastolic) on three or more separate recordings.

The three different cholesterol numbers that are important to know are HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. These numbers combine to give a "lipid profile" score, but the three individual scores are most important.

• Total cholesterol of 200 mg/dL or lower
• HDL ("good" cholesterol) of 50 mg/dL or higher, for women, or 40 mg/dL or higher, for men
• Optimal LDL is 100 or lower
• Triglycerides of less than 150 mg/dL

Waist size is also an important number to know because it can predict heart disease risk. If your waist size is equal to or more than 35 inches in women and equal to or more than 40 inches in men, it increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic problems, high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol.

Book an appointment with your doctor to learn your numbers, risks and steps you can take to ensure your heart health. If any of your numbers is higher than desired, discuss a plan of action to keep them under control.

For more information, visit www.amedisys.com.

About Amedisys

Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) is a leading health care at home company delivering personalized home health and hospice care to more than 360,000 patients each year. Amedisys is focused on delivering the care that is best for our patients, whether that is home-based recovery and rehabilitation after an operation or injury, care focused on empowering them to manage a chronic disease, palliative care for those with a terminal illness, or hospice care at the end of life. The Company's state-of-the-art advanced chronic care management programs and leading-edge technology enables it to deliver quality care based upon the latest evidence-based best practices. Amedisys is a recognized innovator, being one of the first in the industry to equip its clinicians with point-of-care laptop technology and referring physicians with an internet portal that enables real-time coordination of patient care seamlessly. Amedisys also has the industry's first-ever nationwide Care Transitions program, designed to reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions through patient and caregiver health coaching and care coordination, which starts in the hospital and continues throughout completion of the patient's home health plan of care. For more information about the Company, please visit: http://www.amedisys.com.

Amedisys, Inc.
Kendra Kimmons, 225-299-3720
Marketing & Communications
[email protected]

Source: Amedisys, Inc.