Are You At Risk for Heart Disease (4pg)

Are You At Risk For Heart Disease?

Nine Factors To Consider

Heart disease is a major medical problem in the United States. The more risk factors you have, the greater your chances of developing the disease. The first step in living a long and healthy life is to find out what puts you at greater risk for heart disease. The American Heart Association has identified the following risk factors.

There are three risk factors that you have no control over:

Age: Over 83 percent of people who die from coronary artery disease are age 65 and over.

Gender: Men have a greater risk of heart disease and have heart attacks earlier in life. However, heart disease is still the leading cause of death for American women.

Heredity and Race: If your parents had heart disease, you are more likely to develop it yourself. African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure as are Mexican Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans.

There are several risk factors that you can control:

Smoking: It’s estimated that tobacco smokers are two to four times more likely to develop heart disease than non-smokers.

High Cholesterol: As cholesterol levels and blood pressure increase, so does the risk of heart disease.

Lack of Exercise: When you live an inactive lifestyle, you increase the likelihood of having heart disease. Daily physical activity of just moderate intensity, such as a brisk walk, can substantially improve the health of your heart and circulatory system.

Diabetes: Even when your glucose levels are under control, diabetes greatly increases your risk for heart disease.  Indeed, about 75 percent of people with diabetes will die from some form of heart or blood vessel disease.

Stress:  Prolonged stress can raise your blood pressure and sometimes cause irregular heartbeats.

Alcohol:  The consumption of too much alcohol can compound the effects of other risk factors.

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