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Clinical and statistical studies have identified several factors that increase a person’s risk of having heart disease. Major risk factors are those that research has shown significantly increase the risk of heart disease. Other factors are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but their significance and prevalence haven't yet been precisely determined. They're called contributing risk factors.
Use My Life Check from the American Heart Association to assess your heart health and determine what you can do to lower your risk.
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| Risk Factors You Cannot Change: |
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| Some risk factors cannot be changed. Still, it is important to be aware of them. Awareness gives you an opportunity to educate yourself and also to take measures to safeguard your health as much as possible in other ways. The unchangeable factors affecting your heart health are: |
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Age: Your risk increases with age.
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Sex: Men of any age, and postmenopausal women, have a greater risk.
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Family History (heredity and race): Heart disease tends to run in families and is more common among some ethnic groups. For help in determining your family health history use the Family Health History Toolkit.
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Medical history: Past history of heart problems.
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| Risk Factors You Can Change: |
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High Blood Pressure (hypertension):
High blood pressure causes the heart to work harder, putting you at an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney, and eye problems. There are no symptoms to identify high blood pressure and therefore many people are unaware that they have it. The only way to detect high blood pressure is to have it checked regularly.
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| Diastolic |
| less than 80 |
| 80 - 89 |
| 90 - 99 |
| 100 or greater |
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| Learn more about blood pressure |
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High Blood Cholesterol:
Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like substance in your body. Cholesterol only comes from animal products or animal by-products such as beef, chicken, eggs, milk, etc. A high level of cholesterol in the blood (240 mg/dL or higher) is a major risk factor for heart attack and also increases your risk of having a stroke. High levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. People with a low level of HDL cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dL) have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. A high LDL level (more than 160 mg/dL or more than 130 mg/dL if you have two or more risk factors for heart disease) reflects an increased risk of heart disease. That's why LDL cholesterol is often called "bad" cholesterol. .
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Smoking:
Quitting smoking lowers a person's risk of heart disease greatly, even after many years of smoking. about the impact of smoking on heart disease.
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Diabetes:
Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting the body's ability to make or use insulin. Insulin is the hormone that transports glucose (blood sugar) from digested nutrients into the body's cells for energy and growth. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. With type 1 diabetes the body cannot produce insulin. In order to control their blood sugar, the patient must use insulin injections. In type 2 diabetes, the body produces insulin but is unable to process it and/or use it correctly. In most cases type 2 diabetes may be controlled by diet and exercise. People with diabetes can manage their blood pressure and cholesterol to reduce their chance of heart attack or stroke.
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Physical Inactivity:
Physical inactivity increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. You can reduce your risk by doing moderate-intensity physical activity for a total of 2 ½ hours per week.
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Obesity:
Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Only smoking exceeds obesity in contributing to the total U.S. death rate. The percentage of overweight or obese persons in Utah and the U.S. has increased dramatically over the past 10 years. Adults who are obese are also at a greater risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
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| Contributing Factors for Heart Disease: |
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| Researchers continually discover other factors that seem to relate to heart disease. The following are a few of these factors: |
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- Birth control pills
- C-reactive protein
- Alcohol
- Homocysteine
- Metabolic syndrome
- Stress
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