February is American Heart Month, when people are encouraged to focus on cardiovascular health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States — for both men and women. This year, the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (DHDSP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages women in particular to educate themselves on heart health. Women in the United States experience high rates of heart-related illness and death, but many people are unaware of this fact. Awareness promotes the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiac events — and can help save lives.
We all know about the heart and its vital duty of pumping blood through the blood vessels, but it’s always good to consult a medical professional for more information. Today, at American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), we are lucky enough to share the company of pediatric cardiologist and AUC alumna Annie Tedga, MD ’11. Dr. Tedga recently completed the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. She is a member of the American College of Cardiology and the Association of Black Cardiologists and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP).
Q: What is heart disease?
A: Heart disease includes several conditions that affect the heart’s structure and function. These conditions include cardiovascular diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels, and coronary heart disease, which occurs when plaque (a combination of cholesterol, calcium, fat and other substances) builds up in the arteries. Plaque limits the amount of oxygen-rich blood that can reach your heart and other organs. People with any type of heart disease are candidates for dangerous cardiac events.
Q: What are some major cardiac events?
A: Cardiac events stem from a lack of oxygen-rich blood, and each one is potentially devastating. A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, happens when the flow of blood to a part of your heart is suddenly blocked. Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops pumping, cutting off blood to the brain and other vital organs. A stroke, also called a transient ischemic attack or cerebrovascular accident, is caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain. These events can kill or disable you, but the good news is that heart disease is largely preventable.
Q: What can we do to prevent heart disease?
A: There is no surefire way to prevent heart disease, but you can certainly lower your risk by being physically active and eating healthier foods — and don’t smoke! Also, try to get enough sleep and reduce stress. In other words, live a healthy lifestyle.
Q: What are the risk factors for heart disease?
A: Risk factors for heart disease include having such conditions as high blood pressure, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome (a combination of these or other risk factors). Obesity can encourage these conditions, as can physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet, and smoking (or exposure to secondhand smoke). Kawasaki disease, an acute febrile illness that primarily affects young children, and congenital coronary anomalies such as anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) also confer risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Basically, anything that can damage the lining of the arteries is bad for you; damaged arteries are more susceptible to plaque buildup. Risk factors beyond our control include ethnicity, family history, and congenital heart defects. Anxiety, mood, and post-traumatic stress disorders can also contribute to or be caused by heart disease.
Q: What is pediatric cardiology and how did you arrive at that specialty?
A: Pediatric cardiology deals with heart irregularities and ailments in children under the age of 18. Heart disease in kids and teens is much less common than in adults, but it can be equally deadly. The types of heart problems in youths are different, too. They include congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defect, which affect nearly 1 percent (about 40,000 births) per year in the United States. Infections, illness, and genetic syndromes can also negatively affect a child’s heart, as can childhood obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. All these conditions are serious, but because of technological advances in prenatal diagnostic measures and surgical techniques, kids with heart conditions now have a better chance of living longer and better lives than they did in years past.
As for my personal journey, after graduating from AUC in late 2011, I took an unexpected detour where I volunteered as a general practitioner for three years in Cameroon, where I was born. That period was pivotal in my journey and ultimately to my self-discovery. Having gravitated toward pediatrics at AUC, I volunteered at a local children’s hospital. I wasn’t prepared to experience how profoundly disadvantaged my patients would be, and my perspective on a lot of things started shifting. There in Cameroon, I encountered my first baby with congenital heart disease. There was no local means of treatment: the baby would have to be evacuated to France. In addition, the hospital would not pay for the mother to accompany the baby. That stirred something in me and I wanted to do something about it. To that end, I returned to the United States and became a pediatric cardiologist.
Q: What should students look for in a medical school?
A: I would look for a medical school that is well established and has such proven results as high United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) pass rates, high residency and match rates, high student satisfaction, etc. It’s important to find a well-rounded medical school that will nurture your goals.
Q: How can students get the most out of clinical rotations?
A: For clinical rotations (the second half of medical school), bring your A game from day one. First impressions matter. Do not underestimate the power of mentorship. Seek mentors early, especially peers who have already completed the rotations. This was particularly helpful to me. If you want to make a lasting impression, invest your time and volunteer to take on extra tasks. Residents are overworked and will appreciate all the help they can get. Always remind yourself that unlike resident trainees and attending physicians, you’re paying to do your rotations. That will influence how you spend your time.
Q: What would you say helped you achieve success in medical school?
A: My unwavering faith in God and my determination to finish the journey of medical school.
Q: Describe AUC in one sentence.
A: AUC is a thriving home to diversified and competent doctors!
Learn more about heart-healthy living through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and check out The Heart Truth®, a national health education program meant to raise awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death in women. And don’t forget National Wear Red Day® (every first Friday of February), which brings attention to heart disease as a leading cause of death in the United States.
At AUC School of Medicine, we’re training future cardiologists and other specialist physicians. Our 2022–2023 MD graduates achieved a 97% first-time residency attainment rate* and are now beginning their post-graduate training across 24 specialties. Learn more about AUC and its MD program, as well as the requirements for admission. Thank you, Dr. Tedga, for the heart-to-heart chat!
*Percentage of students attaining a 2023–2024 residency position out of all graduates or expected graduates in 2022–2023 who were active applicants in the 2023 NRMP match or who attained a residency position outside the NRMP match.