The following table lists primary risk factors for developing heart disease.
Count your total risk factors:
- Male 45 years or older
- Female 55 years or older
- Female under age 55 with premature menopause not treated with estrogen replacement therapy
- Smoker
- High Blood Pressure
- Diabetes mellitus
- Family history of heart disease (a parent or sibling under 55 if male, or under 65 if female)
- Family history of heart disease (a parent or sibling under 55 if male, or under 65 if female)
- High total blood cholesterol
- Low HDL (good) blood cholesterol (you can subtract one risk factor if HDL is higher than 60)
- High LDL (bad) blood cholesterol
- High triglyceride blood level
- Obesity – 30% or more overweight
- Sedentary lifestyle
- History of vascular disease
Total risk factors
Unfortunately, certain risk factors such as family history and gender cannot be changed. However, by modifying other risk factors, the odds of having a heart attack can be substantially reduced.For individuals with heart disease, the lowering of the LDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter of blood) can stabilize coronary disease or even promote regression of coronary disease.
More detailed explanations are available at www.americanheart.org and www.acc.org.
