Risk Factors for Atherosclerosis

About risk factors: Risk factors for Atherosclerosis are factors that do not seem to be a direct cause of the disease, but seem to be associated in some way. Having a risk factor for Atherosclerosis makes the chances of getting a condition higher but does not always lead to Atherosclerosis. Also, the absence of any risk factors or having a protective factor does not necessarily guard you against getting Atherosclerosis. For general information and a list of risk factors, see the risk center.

Risk factor list: The list of risk factors mentioned for Atherosclerosis in various sources includes:

Risk factors discussion: These risk factors raise your chances of having atherosclerosis:

having high blood cholesterol, especially high LDL ("bad cholesterol") and low HDL ("good cholesterol") levels
aging and being male (women are affected more after menopause)
having close relatives who had heart disease or a stroke at a relatively young age
having high blood pressure
having diabetes
smoking
having trouble managing stress
having high levels of homocysteine (an amino acid) in the blood
being obese
being physically inactive.

The more risk factors you have, the more likely it is that you have atherosclerosis. Talk with your health care provider about your risks for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.¹

Risks factors for Atherosclerosis: medical news summaries: The following medical news items are relevant to risk factors for Atherosclerosis:

Footnotes:
1. excerpt from ATHEROSCLEROSIS: NWHIC

Last revision: April 9, 2003

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