The Risk Factors of Coronary Heart Disease

The Thoratec Patient's Glossary defines Coronary Heart Disease: "A disease in which plaque deposits containing cholesterol atherosclerosis and fat globules are deposited within the intima and inner media of large and medium-sized arteries." In other words, the arteries through which most of the blood passes become smaller, giving the heart a greater chance to have an attack because of 'traffic problems.' Age, gender, and race are all risk factors for coronary heart disease. The older you are, the more likely you are to have a heart attack. Eighty-three percent of all deaths caused by coronary heart disease are over age 65. If you're male, you're more prone to heart problems in general, and more likely to have them at younger stages in life. If you're of Black African descent, you have an increased vulnerability to coronary heart disease. None of these factors are changeable; be aware of who you are and what sort of innate risks that poses to you, so that you can be mindful of things that you can change.

This includes smoking; a smoker is anywhere up to four times more likely to contact coronary heart disease than a non-smoker, and twice as likely to develop other heart problems. While cigar and pipe smokers are at the same risk, cigarette smokers are at the greatest risk. Second hand smoke increases the risk just as much as if you were smoking yourself.

High cholesterol, specifically blood cholesterol, also makes you more vulnerable to coronary heart disease, as does inactivity and obesity (defined by being more than twenty pounds over your heights most natural weight level.) Exercise can help control all of these factors, and can help lower the risks presented by high blood pressure, which can harden heart tissues, making you more likely to have a heart attack.

Diabetes is another serious risk factor; while the disease naturally increases the risk for heart attacks and strokes, properly managing your blood sugar levels can seriously decrease the likelihood that you'll suffer from heart disease.

This form of heart disease is not always preventable, but controlling your diet, smoking and drinking habits, and exercising daily go a long way to minimizing the likelihood that you'll contact it. You can control your life; it just takes effort.