| Not knowing you're at risk for heart disease can be the
biggest risk of all. While a heart attack may happen to anyone, the
American Heart Association says certain people carry more risk than
others.
"Risk factors tell you more about the possibility of heart disease
than any medical tests available," says Barry Bertolet, M.D., a
board-certified cardiologist in private practice with Cardiology
Associates of North Mississippi, P.A., and a member of North Mississippi
Medical Center's medical staff. "If heart disease is discovered before
you have a heart attack, it can be treated in a number of ways. Once
the heart muscle is damaged, there is no way to bring it back."
Some risk factors for heart disease are clearly inherited, such as
being male or having a family history of early heart attacks. Other
risks may be partly inherited, such as a predisposition to high
cholesterol, high blood pressure or obesity. And still other risks are
basically chosen, such as smoking, a poor diet and a sedentary
lifestyle.
Protect Yourself !
The following are considered to be some of the primary risk factors for
developing heart disease (listed in alphabetical order):
| Being male and over 45 or
female and over 55. - About four
out of five people who die of heart attacks are over 65. At older
ages, women who have heart attacks are twice as likely as men to
die from them within a few weeks.
Family history of heart disease.
- Children of parents with
cardiovascular disease are more likely to develop heart disease.
High total blood cholesterol.
- "There are two main types of
cholesterol important in heart health. They are low-density
lipoprotein (LDL), which is also known as 'bad cholesterol,' and
high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or 'good cholesterol,'" Bertolet
explains. "A high level of HDL is good because it helps remove
cholesterol from the arteries and prevents blockage. A high level
of LDL can be detrimental because it leads to cholesterol deposits
in the arteries, which in turn can cause heart attacks and
strokes."
High blood pressure.
- High blood pressure increases the heart's workload, causing the
heart to enlarge and weaken over time. "When high blood pressure
exists with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol or diabetes,
the risk of heart attack increases several times," Bertolet warns.
Inactivity.
- Regular aerobic exercise plays a significant role in preventing
heart and blood vessel disease. Even modest levels of
low-intensity physical activity are beneficial if done regularly
and over the long term.
Poor stress management.
- Some scientists have noted a relationship between heart disease
and a person's life stress, behavior habits and socioeconomic
status. These factors may affect established risk factors. For
example, a person under stress may start smoking or smoke more
than normal
Smoking or chronic exposure to tobacco
smoke. - "Cigarette smoking is
the largest risk factor for sudden cardiac death, and smokers who
have a heart attack are more likely to die suddenly (within an
hour) than non-smokers. Data also indicated that chronic exposure
to secondhand smoke may increase the risk for heart disease,"
Bertolet says. |
"There is evidence that smoking cessation, diet control, exercising
and lowering cholesterol levels, as well as controlling high blood
pressure, diabetes and other lifestyle changes, can lead to regression
of heart disease," Bertolet says. "Physicians can give patients this
information, guide and support them and prescribe appropriate
medications, but it's really up to the individual patient to take
control and make a difference in his or her own health."
.................................................................................
 |
*
don't smoke
* eat a low-saturated fat diet
* have your blood pressure checked
* physically active
* speak to your physician about hormone
replacement therapy if you are a woman
past menopause |
For more information on heart
disease and risk factors,
call the North Mississippi Medical Center Heart Institute
at 1-800-843-3375. |
