Its red, squishy and works non-stop to keep everyone alive. Its not the latest political pundit but the human heart.

The continuously pumping organ is responsible for moving blood throughout the human body, supplying oxygen and nutrients and removing toxins and waste. Weighing between 8 and 12 ounces, the heart is a mighty organ divided into four chambers that work together to pump blood in and out.

The heart gets oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it throughout the rest of the body. It does this by contracting at a rhythmic pace, about 60-80 times per minute, thanks to electrical cells called pacemakers.

February is National American Heart Month and brings focus to the muscles function, role and how individuals can maintain a healthy life for heart longevity.

Dr. Arie Szatkowski is the Medical Director of the Baptist-Stern Joint Venture that oversees the cardiovascular services for the Metro Baptist Hospital System. He detailed several symptoms of heart issues that older adults should be aware of through their later years.

Cardiovascular disease affects most men and women as they move through the last several decades of their lives, Szatkowski says. One out of three of us, cause of death is a cardiovascular one. As we get older a lot of things change. Our vessels become stiffer and other biological changes to our circulatory system. Our heart functions have some changes to it that led to a decline in the way our heart relaxes, the way our blood vessels respond, the way our heart rates respond.

In spite of all these changes Szatkowski says people are living a lot longer.

One reason is that medicine has helped, people are taking care of themselves better, Szatkowski says. The ones that do can certainly live longer. As a result of living longer, more elderly folks are getting to the doctors office to maintain their health.

Symptoms to be aware of include a buildup of plaque which can lead to fatigue from general, everyday activities.

Plaque in the arteries can cause a reduction of blood flow to a part of the heart, Szatkowski said. There are two ways people would experience discomfort from such a thing. One would be a gradual increase in symptoms during activities. If you're fairly active and still participate in daily activities like gardening, household chores or going for walks everyday, you might notice a discomfort in your chest when you increase your activity level. That could be a pressure, tightness, squeezing, it could feel like indigestion, it might radiate to your jaw, you might be short of breath, fatigue might set in. These symptoms usually occur repeatedly, not just a one-time occurrence.

Those indicators are reasons to go see your physician as soon as possible.

If that happens, just be sure that it isnt anything else, said Dr. Szatkowski, who is also the acting president of the Medical Staff at Baptist Desoto Hospital and director of Cardiovascular Services and Echocardiography lab at Baptist Desoto Hospital. In modern times, were able to treat many types of diseases for folks, even into their 90s.

Cardiac symptoms like blocked artery, valve issues or heart failure often present with exertional fatigue. Senior citizens may decide to minimize physical activity because of the perceived tiredness. They may convince themselves, Im just getting older, I cant do what I used to do, or Im not as young as I used to be.

Even the simple act of needing to sleep at night with several pillows to lay on could be an indicator.

If you have the inability to lay flat because you get short of breath, thats oftentimes a sign of heart failure, said Dr. Szatkowski. If you sleep with a lot of pillows, because if you lay flat you get winded or wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air, those are signs that require attention.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about half of all Americans (47%) have at least 1 of 3 key risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or smoking.

High blood pressure, if not controlled, can affect your heart and other major organs of your body, including your kidneys and brain.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made by the liver or found in certain foods. Your liver makes enough for your bodys needs, but we often get more cholesterol from the foods we eat.

If older adults take in more cholesterol than the body can use, the extra cholesterol can build up in the walls of the arteries, including those of the heart. This leads to narrowing of the arteries and can decrease the blood flow to the heart, brain, kidneys, and other parts of the body.

Tobacco use increases the risk for heart disease and heart attack. Cigarette smoking can damage the heart and blood vessels, which increases risks for heart conditions such as atherosclerosis and heart attack. Nicotine raises blood pressure and carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke reduces the amount of oxygen that your blood can carry. Exposure to secondhand smoke can also increase the risk for heart disease, even for nonsmokers.

The CDC has more resources and information about heart health and heart disease prevention at http://www.cdc.gov.

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Know the signs for heart health issues and see your doctor regularly - DeSoto Times-Tribune