Risk Factors for Heart Disease
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women. Most women do not realize that heart disease is their most serious health threat, and many more do not know how to recognize symptoms of a serious heart condition or heart attack. You can help change this by learning more about all of the risk factors for heart disease below.
Age
Your age can affect your risk for heart disease. After menopause, women are more likely to get heart disease, in part because their body's production of estrogen drops. Women who have gone through early menopause, either naturally or because they have had a hysterectomy, are twice as likely to develop heart disease as women of the same age who have not yet gone through menopause.
Smoking habits
If you smoke, quit. Your healthcare provider can tell you about effective treatments that can help you control the urge to smoke. It's never too late to stop. Women who smoke are two to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than nonsmoking women. Smoking also boosts the risk of stroke and cancer. Smoking is a particular problem for women, as it is a factor in a majority of heart attacks in women under the age of 45, and is a significant multiplier of risk in women with family histories of heart disease. And birth control pills make things even worse — the combination of smoking and birth control pills increases the risk of early heart disease by 20-fold.
Diabetes
The incidence of diabetes is growing, particularly among women, right along with one of its root causes: obesity. Diabetes should be thought of as a disease of blood vessels as much as a disease of sugar metabolism, as it greatly increases cardiovascular risk. The risk of heart disease in women with diabetes is increased as much as 6-fold.
High blood pressure
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. It is common in women over 55. Exercise and diet can play a big role in reducing blood pressure levels. Effective medicines are also available.
Cholesterol levels
Cholesterol abnormalities greatly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Low HDL levels are a more important risk factor in women than in men. Evidence is mounting that achieving very low LDL levels, and/or substantially raising HDL levels, can actually halt or reverse coronary artery disease. In many women cholesterol can be controlled with diet and exercise, but often drug therapy with statins or other medicine is also needed. Blood cholesterol is very specific to each individual and so a full lipid profile is an important part of your medical history and important information for your physician to have.
In addition to these risk factors, other characteristics can attribute to your personal risk for heart disease. Learn more >
