Coronary Heart Disease – Risk Factors

There are several ways of describing coronary heart disease (CHD). The disease is characterized by damage that occurs to the heart when its blood supply is reduced. The blood supply is reduced when blood heart-disease-informationvessels that carry blood to the heart become lined with accumulated fatty deposits, causing them to narrow.

Coronary heart disease is sometimes called coronary artery disease (CAD) or atherosclerotic heart disease.

Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors

Among the more common risks for coronary heart disease are these. This list is not exhaustive.

* Age 65 or above – Over 83% of those dying from coronary heart disease are over 65.

* Diabetes – Diabetes mellitus seriously increases your risk of coronary heart disease.

* Family history – Children of parents with coronary heart disease are more likely to develop it. Coronary heart disease risk is higher among African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, native Americans, and native Hawaiians, partially due to obesity.

* Hypertension - High blood pressure is another risk of coronary heart disease. This risk is greater for African-Americans.

* Lack of exercise – An inactive lifestyle is a risk factor for coronary heart disease.

* Maleness – Men have a greater risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack than women do.

* Menopause – Women have an increased risk of coronary heart disease after menopause. Older women who have heart attacks are more likely than men to die within a few weeks of the attack.

* Obesity - People who are obese or overweight are at risk for coronary heart disease simply because of excess weight If much of the excess is at the waist, they are more likely to develop coronary heart disease and stroke, even if they have no other risk factors.

* Smoking - A smoker’s risk of coronary heart disease is from 2 to 4 times as great as that of nonsmokers. Second-hand smoke can also cause coronary heart disease.

Some risk factors for coronary heart disease can be controlled – some cannot. You cannot control your gender, your age or your family history. Those are what they are.

You can control the other coronary heart disease risk factors. You can modify lifestyle so you are not as sedentary. You can exercise and diet to lose weight – even 10 pounds reduces the risk. You can stop smoking, and get your physician’s help on treating hypertension, diabetes, or other things that put you at risk.

In another article, we will look at symptoms of coronary heart disease. Please remember that this information is meant for educational purposes only. You should have regular physical checkups, and discuss any symptoms with your physician.