Heart disease risk factors
The American Heart Association outlines the factors that increase the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack.Risk factors you cannot change
• Increasing age: More than 83 percent of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older.
• Male sex: Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women, and they have attacks earlier in life.
• Heredity: Children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves. Groups that have a higher risk of heart disease include African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians and some Asian Americans.
Risk factors you can change
• Smoking: Smokers’ risk of getting coronary heart disease is two to four times that of nonsmokers.
• High blood cholesterol.
• High blood pressure. It increases the heart’s workload, causing the heart to thicken and become stiffer.
• Physical inactivity. Exercise can help control blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, as well as help lower blood pressure in some people.
• Obesity and overweight: People who have excess body fat, particularly if much of it is at the waist, are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke.
• Diabetes mellitus: Even when glucose (blood sugar) levels are under control, diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.