Risk Factors for Heart attack
| About risk factors: Risk factors for Heart attack 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 Heart attack makes the chances of getting a condition higher but does not always lead to Heart attack. Also, the absence of any risk factors or having a protective factor does not necessarily guard you against getting Heart attack. For general information and a list of risk factors, see the risk center. |
Risk factor list: The list of risk factors mentioned for Heart attack in various sources includes:
- Heart disease
- Previous heart attack
- Angina
- Family history of heart disease
- High blood cholesterol
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Cigarette smoking
- Overweight
- Physical inactivity
- Poor diet
- High-fat diet
- High-salt diet
Risk factor statistics for Heart attack: The following are statistics from various sources about the risk factors for Heart attack:
- MI risk 1-7 times higher in moderate nicotine users (World Heart Federation Fact-Sheet, 2002)
- MI risk 4 times higher in heavy smokers (World Heart Federation Fact-Sheet, 2002)
Risk factors discussion: People who have had one heart attack are at much higher risk for a second attack. Reducing blood cholesterol levels can greatly slow down (and, in some people, even reverse) the buildup of cholesterol and fat in the wall of the coronary arteries and significantly reduce the chances of a second heart attack. If you have had a heart attack or have coronary disease, your LDL level should be around 100 mg/dL which is even lower than the recommended level of less than 130 mg/dL for the general population.1
Many people who have had a heart attack are afraid that having sex will cause another attack. The risk of this is very low. Follow your doctor’s advice. Most people can start having sex again 12 to 16 weeks after an attack. 2
Risks factors for Heart attack: medical news summaries: The following medical news items are relevant to risk factors for Heart attack:
- 1.56 hypertension sufferers worldwide predicted by 2025
- Aspirin and Bextra combination may increase heart risk
- Australian medical experts want Celebrex to remain on the market
- Breast cancer drug Femara superior to Tamoxifen
- Celecoxib no longer allowed to be used as a cancer treatment
- Children increasingly face adult diseases
- Concerns over Celebrex use mounting
- Diuretics are cheap and the benefits outweigh the risks
- Doubts over the real cause of depression
- Health Canada warns consumers about various COX-2 inhibitor NSAIDs
- Heart attack risk may be determined by testing blood pressure after exercise
- Heart disease can occur in people with few cardiovascular risks
- High salt consumption can cause a range of health problems
- How much is really known about the safety of statins
- Hypertension needs rapid attention
- Long term effects of obesity surgery examined
- Long term medications need to be carefully assessed to determine health benefits
- LVH may increase the risk of adverse events in hypertensive patients
- MBL protein level linked to heart attack risk in diabetics
- Merck faces nearly 500 lawsuits over Vioxx
- More women using natural hormones for menopause therapy
- New results on Bextra implicates whole cox-2 inhibitor class of drugs
- New risk factors may be associated with cardiovascular disease risk
- Osteoporosis rates expected to increase with reduced useage of HRT
- Pfizer releases Bextra risks information
- Recent studies involving contraceptive pill risks may be flawed
- Statins may benefit people at low risk of heart disease
- Study shows 88-140,000 people may have suffered from cardiovascular problems caused by Vioxx
- Suspension of Aleve comes as a surprise
- Vegetarians have lower rates of hypertension than non-vegetarians
Footnotes:
1. excerpt from CHECK YOUR CHOLESTEROL AND HEART DISEASE I.Q: NHLBI
2. excerpt from Sexuality Later in Life - Age Page - Health Information: NIA
Last revision: April 9, 2003
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