who is at risk of a heart attack?
The risk factor concept is a good way to determine the likelihood of coronary heart disease:
•The most serious risk factor by far is an elevated blood cholesterol. [ Men, 50 years and older, with cholesterol levels over 295 mg% (or 7.6 mmol/L) are 10 times more likely to develop atherosclerosis (or narrowing and hardening of the arteries) than men the same age with levels under 200 mg% (or 5.1 mmol/L). A 20% decrease in blood cholesterol levels lowers the risk of a coronary by about 50 percent.
•By age 60, smokers are 10 times more likely than non-smokers to die from heart disease. More
than 150,000 coronary deaths a year are directly related to smoking.
•In North America every third adult has high blood pressure. This triples the likelihood of coronary heart attack and death when compared to a person with normal blood pressure.
•Obese men are five times more likely to die of heart disease by age 60 than men of normal weight.
•Other risk factors are diabetes, elevated triglycerides, sedentary lifestyle, stress and possibly an elevated homocysteine blood level. Fortunately, all of these risk factors can be positively affected by some simple changes in diet and lifestyle. Heredity, age, and gender are also risk factors, but they are not easily subject to change.
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Asked 3/15/2012 11:23:49 AM
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