Know Your RISK

Do you understand your risk of heart attack? There are different factors that increase the risk of heart disease and heart attack. Some factors you can’t control, such as aging, family history and other hereditary factors.

Major risk factors you CAN control are:

  • Tobacco smoke - Smokers’ risk is 2-4 times that of non-smokers.
  • High cholesterol - When too much LDL (bad) cholesterol circulates in your blood, it can slowly fill up the inner walls of your arteries that feed the heart and lead to heart disease and stroke.
  • High Blood Pressure (HBP) - HBP increases the heart’s workload, leads the heart muscle to become thicker and stiff so the heart can’t work properly.
  • Diabetes – Even when glucose levels are under control, diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, but the risks are even greater if blood sugar is not controlled.
  • Obesity - Excess body fat increases the heart’s work level. Extra weight can raise blood pressure, lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels and make diabetes more likely to develop.
  • Physical inactivity - Physical activity can help control cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, as well as help lower blood pressure.

Other factors that may contribute to how a person responds to stress are, drinking too much alcohol, the type and amount of food eaten. Stress can lead people to many unhealthy behaviors that lead to major risk factors.