| A | B |
|---|
| Increasing Age | Over 83% of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. |
| Gender | Men have a greater risk of heart attach than women do, and they have attack's earlier in life. Even after menopause, when women's death rate from heart disease increases, it's not as great as men's. |
| Hereditary (Including Race) | Children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develope it themselves. African American have more severe high blood pressure than Caucasians and a higher risk of heart disease. Heart disease risk is also higher among Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian Americans. This is partly due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes. |
| Tobacco Smoke | Smokers' risk of developing coronary heart disease is 2-4 times that of nonsmokers. Cigarette smoking is a powerful independent risk factor for sudden cardiac death in patients with coronary heart disease; smokers have about twice the risk of nonsmokers. Cigarette smoking also acts with other risk factors to greatly increase the risk for coronary heart disease. People who smoke cigars or pipes seem to have a higher risk of death from coronary artery diseas (and possibly stroke) but their risk isn't as great as cigarette smokers'. |
| High Blood Cholesterol | As blood cholesterol rises, so does risk of coronary heart dease. |
| High Blood Pressure | High blood pressure increaes the heart's workload, causing the heart to thicken and become stiffer. It also increases your risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and congestive heart failure. When high blood pressure exists with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels or diabetes, the risk of heart attack or stroke increases several times. |
| Physical Inactivity | An inactive lifestyle is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity helps preevnt heart and blood vessel disease. The more vigorous the activity, the greater your benifits. However, even moderate-intensity activities help if done regularly and long term. |
| Obesity and Overweight | People who have excess body fat-especially if a lot of it is at the waist- are more likely to develope heart disease and even stroke even if they have no other risk factors. Excess weight increases the heart's work. |
| Diabetes Mellitus | Diabetes seriously increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Even when the glucose levels are under control, diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, but the risks are even greter if blood sugar is not controlled. |
| Stress | Individual response to stress may be a contributing factor.Scientist have noted a relationship between coronary heart disease risk and stress in a person's life, their health behaviors and socioeconomic status. |
| Alcohol | Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, cause heart failure and lead to stroke. It can contribute to high triglycerides, cancer and other diseases, and produce irregular heartbeats. |
