More than 58 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease and many more are at risk for developing it. There are major risk factors which research has shown are definitely associated with increases in heart disease; there are also contributing risk factors, which are less precisely understood such as stress, obesity and socioeconomic status. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance he or she will develop cardiovascular disease.
Risk factors for heart disease include:
- Age. Heart disease most commonly occurs in men over the age of 40 or in women after menopause.
- Family history. A person with a close relative who has had a heart attack (especially before the age of 65) may be at higher risk.
- Smoking. Exposure to any kind of tobacco smoke increases your chance of coronary heart disease.
- Weight. The risk of coronary heart disease goes up as body weight increases.
- Physical inactivity
- High blood pressure/diabetes/cholesterol. Each can cause damage to blood vessels.
Assess your risk for heart disease with this simple quiz.
There are things you can do to reduce your risk of developing heart disease: