Risk Factors for Heart Disease
By Lifesaver Education
Think you know all of the risk factors for heart disease? Knowledge is power! Read on to determine your personal risk factors:
Modifiable Risk Factors
Modifiable risk factors for heart disease are those factors that you have some amount of control over. These include:
• Smoking - smoking is perhaps the biggest preventable risk factor for heart disease and stroke. If you smoke, you have a 2 to 3-fold risk of suffering a heart attack or a stroke. It’s never too late- even if you have been smoking for years, quitting smoking will still reduce your risk.
• Cholesterol - controlling your LDL (bad) cholesterol, boosting your HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering your triglycerides can also lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. If your total cholesterol exceeds 240mg/dl, there is a sharp rise in your risk of suffering a stroke or a heart attack. If you have a family history of high cholesterol, you should have your cholesterol checked regularly, especially if you have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
• Blood Pressure - high blood pressure is a risk factor for stroke, and can increase your risk of developing heart disease. Controlling your weight, exercising, and medications should the first two interventions be insufficient can help you decrease your risk of blood vessel disease.
• Diabetes - if you are diabetic, maintaining tight control of your blood sugar levels can decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke. Diabetics are at higher risk because diabetes predisposes to the development of other risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
• Weight - if you are overweight, losing weight can help you avoid heart disease. Carrying excess weight around your middle is a risk factor, and excess weight can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. If you are unable to lose weight on your own, ask your physician for advice.
• Exercise - your heart is a muscle and requires a good workout to stay healthy. Adopt a more physical lifestyle. Incorporate some form of moderate exercise into your daily routine.
Nonmodifiable Risk Factors
Nonmodifiable risk factors are those risk factors you can’t do anything about:
• Age - the older you become, the higher your risk.
• Sex - men are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, although this metric is changing as more women smoke than in years past.
• Family History - you are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease if you have a family history of heart disease.
• Menopause - hormonal changes following menopause increase women’s risk of heart disease.
• Race - African Americans, people of native descent, native Hawaiians, Asians and Hispanics sometimes have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
As can be seen, there are multiple risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Some can be changed, or modified, while others are not within our ability to control. Changing even one of your modifiable risk factors can lower your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
Basic life support (BLS) courses can teach you how to save a life, as well as provide education on recognition of heart attack and stroke symptoms. In addition, you will be taught how to manage a cardiac arrest should you be present when the unthinkable happens.
To locate a Los Angeles CPR class near you, visit Lifesaver Ed.
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