Coronary heart disease literally means disease in the coronary arteries that supply the heart with oxygen. When a person experiences coronary heart disease they may have several signs and symptoms. But before those symptoms occur other risk factors have to be in place.
What factors increase the risk of coronary heart disease have been the topic of research studies for many years. As we become more knowledgeable about the risk factors we can decrease the risk of heart disease and discover ways to more adequately treat it.
Some extensive clinical studies have found what factors increase the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack. There are major risk factors and others, which have some significance and prevalence but aren’t as strongly linked to the development of heart disease.
There are some causes or risk factors that can’t be changed such as your gender, increasing age or your race. Over 83 percent of people who die of coronary heart disease are over the age of 65. Men have a greater risk than women and have attacks earlier in life. People of African American descent have more severe high blood pressure and are at higher risk of heart disease than Caucasians. Heart disease is also higher risk in Mexican Americans, American Indians, Native Hawaiians and some Asian populations.
What factors increase the risk of coronary heart disease besides factors that can’t be changed? There are major risk factors that you can modify or control by changing your lifestyle. Tobacco smoke is a large risk factor that can be eliminated when you quit smoking. Smokers have a 2-4 times greater risk of developing heart disease than non-smokers.
Another risk factor that can be controlled or modified is high blood cholesterol. As your cholesterol rises so does your risk of coronary heart disease. Although your cholesterol is affected by age, sex and heredity it can be controlled with diet and exercise.
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