Increased age, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and smoking are a few
of the risk factors related to heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.
You can modify, treat or control most risk factors to lower your risk by focusing
on your lifestyle habits or, if needed, taking medicine.
According to the American Heart Association, the major risk factors for coronary
heart disease are:
- Increased age: four out of five people who die of coronary heart disease are age
65 or older.
- Male gender: men have a greater risk of heart attach and they have attacks earlier
- Heredity: children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop it
themselves. Heart disease risk is also higher among Americans with ancestry from
Africa or Mexico, native Americans, Hawaiians and Asians.
- Tobacco smoke: smoker's risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers.
Second hand smoke increases the risk even for nonsmokers.
- High blood cholesterol: risk increases as blood cholesterol levels increase.
- High blood pressure: increases the heart's workload, causing the heart to
enlarge and weaken over time.
- Physical inactivity: regular, moderate-to-vigorous exercise is important in preventing
heart and blood vessel disease.
- Obesity and overweight: people with excess body fat are, especially in the waist
area, are more likely to develop heart disease, even if they have no other risk
- Diabetes mellitus: even when glucose levels are under control, diabetes greatly
increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.