Risk Factors for Heart Disease

A risk factor is a condition or habit that raises your chance of developing a disease. There are many risk factors that raise the risk of heart disease. Some can be managed and some can't:

More Than 1 Risk Factor?

Your risk of heart disease increases if you have more than 1 risk factor. For example, if you have the following 3 risk factors, you may have a 6.2 times greater risk of developing heart disease than if you had none of these risk factors*:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes

Diagram adapted from Kannel WB. Importance of hypertension as a major risk factor in cardiovascular disease. In: Genest J, Koiw E, Kuchel O, Boucher R, Nowaczynski W, Rojo-Ortega JM, eds. Hypertension: Physiopathology and Treatment. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 1977:888-910.

The good news is there are ways you can help protect your heart. Work with your doctor. Address the risks you can manage, such as diet, physical activity, and high cholesterol.

*Risk shown above is compared with the baseline risk for a 40-year-old male nonsmoker with total cholesterol of 185 mg/dL, SBP of 120 mm Hg, no glucose intolerance, ECG-LVH negative, and a probability of developing cardiovascular disease of 15/1000 (or 1.5%) in
8 years.