Risk Factors

Reducing Your Risk of Heart Attack

Haven't you heard enough?
It's true you'd have to live in a cave these days not to hear countless messages about heart-healthy living. But some of these messages are confusing, and occasionally one may even contradict another.

As you read this, here are the most important points to remember:

• Smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and lack of physical activity are the most serious risk factors for heart disease and heart attack.

• Controlling one risk factor can help you control others; for example, regular exercise can help control cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, and stress levels.

• If you have any signs of a heart attack, seek help right away. Never put it off because you're embarrassed or unsure.
  

The culprit-atherosclerosis
Most heart attacks are a result of atherosclerosis. This is the build-up of fatty plaque inside the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. When the flow of blood is reduced because of this blockage, the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen. If an artery becomes completely blocked, a heart attack can occur.

What causes atherosclerosis?
No one knows the exact cause, but we do know there are factors that contribute to it (see below). The more risk factors you have (especially the major ones), the greater are your chances of a heart attack.

Focus your energy on the controllable risk factors especially smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and lack of exercise. Try not to dwell on those factors you can't control. But if you have them (such as being a male with a family history of heart disease), know that it becomes even more important for you to reduce your other risks.

Contributing Factors You Can't Control

Major Factors Include:
Cigarette Smoking
Heredity
Obecity
Increasing Age

Cigarette smoking can:

• Increase heart rate and blood pressure.

• Reduce oxygen supply to the heart muscle.

• Aggravate heart rhythm problems.

• Decrease HDL cholesterol (the good kind)

• Promote artery wall damage.
  

Quitting smoking may be the single best step you can take for the sake of your heart. And the moment you quit, you will begin to reduce your risks from smoking.

If you've tried to quit before and have not succeeded, don't worry. Your motivation and skill levels may be different now, and you may have more of the information you need.

High Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure inside your arteries as the heart pumps blood through them. Normal blood pressure varies from person to person. But if your pressure is consistently 140/90 or more, it's too high.

Untreated high blood pressure can cause wear and tear on your arteries and increase your risk for serious health problems. It can lead to heart disease, kidney damage, vision problems, and stroke.

Many people don't know they have high blood pressure; it usually has no symptoms. The only way to know for sure is to have your blood pressure checked regularly.

The good news is that blood pressure can be controlled through such measures as reducing salt intake, losing weight, exercising regularly, stopping smoking, or taking prescribed medications. Your doctor can tell you which of these are appropriate for you and block the flow of blood through them. As your cholesterol level increases, so does your risk of heart disease and heart attack. Be sure to have your cholesterol level checked if you don't already know it.

The desirable total cholesterol level is below 200. But most people today also want to know their HDL and LDL cholesterol numbers, as these can help predict your ris

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