Are you at risk for developing heart disease? No one is immune from heart disease, it effects all races and genders. There are many known risk factors for heart disease. A risk factor is considered a condition or habit that makes a person more likely to develop a disease it can also increase the chances an existing disease will get worse (NIH, 2017). The more risk factors you have the higher your chance of developing a disease is.
The
American Heart Association classifies risk factors into three different groups.
These include; major risk factors, modifiable risk factors, and contributing risk factors:
· Major risk factors that you were born with and cannot
be changed or controlled, these include:
o
Increasing age-
o
Gender
o
Men have a greater risk for heart attack
than women
o
Hereditary- which includes race
o Being post-menopausal
o Being post-menopausal
·
Modifiable risk factors that can be
changed or modified through medications or lifestyle change, these include:
o
Smoking
o
High blood cholesterol
o
High blood pressure
o
Physical inactivity
o
Diabetes
o
Obesity
·
Other contributing factors, which include:
o
Stress
o
Unhealthy diet
o
Alcohol
So, if you’re asking
yourself what you can do to lower your risk, you can start by making lifestyle
changes with your diet and exercise. Consult with you doctor to see what kind of exercise would be best for
you. If you smoke, stop smoking. There are many different programs out there to help you stop smoking. Know what your body weight should be and weigh what you
should and manage your stress. You can manage your stress by trying relaxation techniques such as yoga meditation,
deep breathing or taking 15 a day to be just by yourself.
You can’t change your genetics
but it is important to know the hereditary risk factors associated with your
ethnicity. African Americans tend to have more problems with higher blood
pressure which increases their risk of heart disease. Due to obesity and
diabetes Mexican Americans, Native Americans, Hawaiians, and Asian Americans
have a higher risk of heart disease.
If you think you are too
young to have a heart attack you are wrong, you can have a heart attack at any
age especially if you have multiple risk factors. You are never too young to
start thinking about your heart health. Know your risk factors and start a
plan.
American
Heart Association (2016, June). Understand Your Risk to Prevent a Heart Attack.
Retrieved from, http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HeartAttack/UnderstandYourRiskstoPreventaHeartAttack/Understand-Your-Risks-to-Prevent-a-Heart-Attack_UCM_002040_Article.jsp#.Wpyf-ainHIU
NIH
(February, 2017). Lower Heart Disease Risk. Retrieved from, https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/hearttruth/lower-risk/index.htm
WebMD
(2016, September 14). Risk Factors for Heart Disease. Retrieved from, https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/risk-factors-heart-disease#1
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