What are the risk factors for a heart attack?
- Age
- Gender
- Genes
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Metabolic syndrome
- Lack of physical activity
- Chronic stress
- Illicit drug use
- Medical history
Knowledge is key when dealing with potential medical pitfalls. If you’re worried about facing a heart attack in the future, it is best to understand the underlying causes. Extensive research has determined several lifestyle factors that can increase a person’s risk for heart attacks, and heart disease in general.
Knowing the risk factors for a heart attack may help you determine earlier on if precautionary measures are needed, and may even help you reduce your chances of developing coronary heart disease.
Heart Attack Risk Factors You Could Control:
When assessing your risk of a heart attack with your doctor, it’s important to know that some risk factors are simply out of your control. Here are three of them:
Age
The older you are, the greater your chances are of having a heart attack. The majority of people who experience a heart attack or die of coronary heart disease are 65 or older. The risk of having a heart attack starts increasing exponentially when men hit 45, and women hit 55 years of age.
Gender
Men are at a higher risk of experiencing a heart attack compared to women. Men also tend to have heart attacks earlier on in life.
Even after menopause, when women’s risk of heart disease increases, their risk of experiencing a heart attack is typically less than that of men of the same age.
Genes
Heart complications, like heart attacks, tend to run in the family. Your family’s medical history can show if you’re more likely to have a heart attack or not.
For example, if your parents or siblings have had heart attacks before, then you’re more likely to experience the same. Certain risk factors may also be passed down from one generation to another.
Some racial and ethnic groups are also more susceptible to heart attacks. For example, research shows that African Americans tend to have higher blood pressure — which increases their risk of heart disease and heart attack when compared to other groups.
Heart Attack Risk Factors You Can Keep In Check:
Likewise, there are risk factors that you can keep in check. Make sure to consult your doctor about which of these you currently experience, and how to manage them.
Smoking
Smoking can increase your risk of developing coronary heart disease and heart attacks — it’s directly related to at least one in every four heart attacks. This is because smoking can increase heart rate, cause stress on your major arteries, and even cause irregularities in heartbeats. All of these make your heart work overtime, which can lead to a heart attack. Even secondhand exposure to tobacco smoke can be a risk for your heart.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is another risk factor to look for. Over time, high blood pressure adds excess stress to your arteries, causing damage. It also forces your heart to work harder, which also causes damage.
High blood pressure can be linked to other risk factors, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, lack of exercise, and obesity.
High Blood Cholesterol
High amounts of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a.k.a. “bad” cholesterol, makes you more likely to have a heart attack. This kind of cholesterol is more likely to clog and narrow your arteries, putting pressure on your heart.
When this factor is present with others (such as high blood pressure), then your risk of heart attacks increases even more. An appropriate cholesterol level is affected by your age, sex, lifestyle, and diet.
Obesity
Being overweight or obese is linked to several heart conditions. Obesity may be caused by high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and diabetes. If you are overweight, consider setting a consultation with a doctor. They can help you determine your ideal goal weight, based on your age, height, and lifestyle.
Diabetes
When you have diabetes, you may not produce enough of a pancreatic hormone known as insulin. Otherwise, your body may not respond to insulin as it should. Either way, this causes your body’s blood sugar levels to rise, increasing your risk of a heart attack.
Metabolic Syndrome
You can contract metabolic syndrome when you’re dealing with high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, and obesity. Having this condition can make you almost twice as likely to have a heart attack.
Lack Of Physical Activity
Being physically inactive can be a risk factor for a heart attack. Exercising regularly can help manage your weight gain and high blood cholesterol levels. It also helps strengthen your heart, and make your arteries and veins more flexible — which lessens the stress on your cardiovascular system.
We recommend staying active, with at least three 40-minute sessions of moderate to vigorous activity each week.
Chronic Stress
Your emotional state can also affect your heart health. Stress in particular is a contributing risk factor for heart complications. When dealing with chronic stress, your arteries tighten and blood pressure rises, putting strain on your heart.
Stress can also prompt other risk factors. For example, it may cause you to become physically inactive, overeat for comfort, or smoke more than you normally would.
Illicit Drug Use
Stimulant drugs, such as methamphetamines and cocaine, can put incredible stress on your cardiovascular system. They can also trigger spasms in your arteries and heart, which may lead to a heart attack.
Medical History
If you have a history of other medical conditions, it may increase your risk of heart attacks. For example, if you have a history of preeclampsia, which is a condition that triggers high blood pressure during pregnancy, you are at higher risk of heart disease. Another example is autoimmune conditions, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Key Takeaway
It’s never too early to find out which of these risk factors for a heart attack you have, and learn how to begin improving your heart health. While some of these factors are out of your control, many others can be managed throughout your lifetime.
Be sure to consult with a trusted medical expert on these risk factors — such as Perpetual Help Medical Center Las Piñas’ roster of the best Cardiology doctors. You may also contact us to learn more about our Heart and Vascular Institute, which can provide the entire spectrum of care for patients dealing with heart concerns and conditions.
