Please answer the following questions:
- Has a physician ever diagnosed you with cardiovascular disease?
- Have you ever experienced chest pain, chest tightness, and/or shortness of breath?
- In your family: Is there a female less than 65 years of age with cardiovascular disease?
- In your family: Is there a male less than 55 years of age with cardiovascular disease?
- Do you have diabetes?
- Do you currently use tobacco products?
- Do you have hypertension (high blood pressure)?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, you are at risk of cardiovascular disease. Many factors in your life can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. Some of these risk factors include if you are 20 pounds overweight, if you have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, if you have a family history of heart disease, and if you are a smoker or have diabetes.
What risk factors can be modified by focusing on lifestyle habits and taking medicine, if needed?
- Tobacco smoke
Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular heart disease. People who smoke have an increased risk for ischemic stroke and hemorrhage. Constant exposure to others' tobacco smoke (secondhand smoke) at work or at home also increases the risk, even for non-smokers. Women smokers who use birth control pills have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke than non-smokers who use them.
- High blood cholesterol
High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease and also increases the risk of stroke. High levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) raise the risk of heart disease and heart attack. High levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) lower the risk of heart disease. Research has shown that low levels of HDL cholesterol seem to be a stronger risk factor for women than for men.
- High blood pressure
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack and the most important risk factor for stroke.
- Physical inactivity
Studies have shown that heart disease is almost twice as likely to develop in inactive people than in those who are more active. The American Heart Association recommends accumulating at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most or all days of the week.
- Obesity
The more fat you have in your body, the higher the risk for health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
- Diabetes
Adults with diabetes have had heart disease death rates that are two to four times those of adults without diabetes. People with diabetes often have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and are overweight, increasing their risk even more.
What are the risk factors for heart disease and stroke that you can't control?
- Increasing age
The risk of heart disease keeps rising with age.
- Gender
Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women, and they have attacks earlier in life. Each year, about 55,000 more women than men have strokes, and about 60 percent of total stroke deaths occur in women.
- Family History
Both women and men are more likely to develop heart disease or stroke if their close blood relatives have had them. Race is also a factor. African-American women have a greater risk of heart disease and stroke than Caucasian women. Compared to whites, African-American men and women are more likely to die of stroke.
- Previous heart attack or stroke
Women who have had a heart attack are at higher risk of having a second heart attack; 22 percent of women ages 40 to 69 who survive a first heart attack will have another heart attack or fatal coronary heart disease within five years, and 22 percent ages 40 to 69 who survive a first stroke will have another within five years. A transient ischemic attack (TIA or "mini-stroke") is also a risk factor and predictor of stroke.
If you think you may be at risk for cardiovascular disease, please call your local CIS clinic to schedule an appointment today.
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