Knowledge is power. If you understand the risks for heart attack, you can take steps to improve your health. Risk factors are traits and lifestyle habits that can increase your chance of having a heart attack. So, it’s important to know them. You can change some risk factors, some you can’t. The first step is to talk to your health care professional, who can help you reduce, control or prevent as many risk factors as you can. They may recommend healthy changes to your daily habits, prescribe medication, or both.
Knowledge is power. If you understand the risks for heart attack, you can take steps to improve your health.
Risk factors are traits and lifestyle habits that can increase your chance of having a heart attack. So, it’s important to know them. You can change some risk factors, some you can’t.
The first step is to talk to your health care professional, who can help you reduce, control or prevent as many risk factors as you can. They may recommend healthy changes to your daily habits, prescribe medication, or both.
If you don’t have a primary care physician, you may be able to see someone at a clinic in your community.
Your health care team will review your medical and family history. They will also want to know:
Your health care professional may use a risk calculator to estimate your chance for a heart attack.
If you’re between 40 and 75 years old and have never had a heart attack, ask to have your risk of a cardiovascular event assessed in the next 10 years. You can use the Check. Change. Control. Calculator™.
Traditional risk factors for heart attack include:
Risk-enhancing factors include:
It's long been known that smoking greatly raises the risk for heart disease and stroke. But new research suggests the first sign a smoker is developing cardiovascular problems also may be the last.
The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found smokers were more likely than nonsmokers to have a heart attack or stroke in middle age with no prior indication they had cardiovascular disease – sometimes with fatal consequences. Smokers also developed cardiovascular disease up to five years earlier than nonsmokers, which led to a significantly shorter lifespan, the research showed.
"There is often more awareness and concern about cancer as a result of smoking than heart disease, so we wanted to better define the risks of smoking related to different types of cardiovascular disease and, most importantly, to cardiovascular death," lead study author Dr. Sadiya S. Khan said in a news release. Khan is an assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
"In our analysis, even after adjusting for deaths not related to the heart, such as due to lung cancer, we found that fatal or non-fatal events related to cardiovascular disease are more likely to occur among people who smoke," she said.
More than 34 million U.S. adults smoke cigarettes, despite decades of research showing smoking takes years off a person's life by greatly raising the risk for a wide range of illnesses, including heart disease, stroke and many cancers. More than 480,000 U.S. adults die from smoking-related cardiovascular disease each year, according to AHA statistics.
This study analyzed health data from 1948 to 2017 for 106,165 adults from nine studies of cardiovascular disease. Participants – half men and half women – ranged in age from 20 to 79 and had no signs of cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study period. Researchers looked at the impact of smoking on a person's long-term risk for developing a wide range of cardiovascular problems, including fatal and non-fatal coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and other heart-related causes of death.
Among smokers of all ages, heart attacks were the most common first sign of heart disease. Among middle-aged and older adults who smoked, heart failure was second. In younger adults who smoked, stroke was the second most common indication of cardiovascular disease.
The biggest gaps between smokers' and nonsmokers' risk for cardiovascular disease – especially of dying from a first-time event – occurred in middle age. Men and women ages 40-59 who smoked had about a 10% higher risk of developing some type of cardiovascular disease than those who didn't smoke. Men in this age group who smoked were 1.5 times more likely to die from that first-time event and women who smoked were nearly twice as likely to do so compared to their nonsmoking peers.
Among younger adults – those under 40 – researchers found the risk for developing cardiovascular disease began increasing earlier in men who smoked than in women. For those men, that risk began to grow after 10 years of follow-up, compared to 20 years into follow-up for women.
The type of cardiovascular problems most likely to develop also differed. Young men who smoked had the highest long-term risk for heart attacks – 24% – whereas young women had the highest long-term risk – 11.3% – of death from other cardiovascular causes such strokes or heart failure.
"People who smoke may not realize the harm cigarettes are causing their body until it's too late," Khan said. "Another notable finding among people who smoked was the early onset of CVD, and among those who developed CVD, how much younger they were. There's not a lot of research on young adults who smoke, particularly among young men. Our study adds important perspective."
The findings show the cumulative harm smoking does to a person's heart health over a lifetime – kick-starting the development of cardiovascular disease at an earlier age, adding increased risk for fatal events in middle age and persisting into a person's 80s, the researchers said. They recommended all people who smoke speak with a health care provider to find the best way to quit to protect their health.
"Smoking cessation is very challenging, and reaching out to your doctor or other health care professionals for support and resources is important – the sooner the better," Khan said.
If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org.
I see that you are interested in how to keep your heart healthy. This is a very important topic, as heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide. There are many factors that can affect your heart health, such as your diet, lifestyle, genetics, and medical conditions. However, there are also many steps you can take to prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease. Here are some of the main tips to keep your heart healthy, based on the information I found from various sources:
Don’t smoke or use tobacco. Smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your heart, as it damages your blood vessels, lowers the oxygen in your blood, and raises your blood pressure and heart rate. Quitting smoking can lower your risk of heart disease significantly, even if you have smoked for a long time. You should also avoid exposure to secondhand smoke, as it can also harm your heartAd12.
Eat a heart-healthy diet. A balanced and nutritious diet can help protect your heart, lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, and prevent diabetes. You should eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and fish, as they are rich in fiber, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and other beneficial nutrients. You should also limit your intake of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, added sugar, and processed foods, as they can increase your risk of heart diseaseAd123.
Get active and stay fit. Physical activity can strengthen your heart, improve your blood circulation, and reduce stress. It can also help you maintain a healthy weight, which is important for your heart health. You should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming, or dancing. You can also do some strength training, stretching, yoga, or tai chi to enhance your flexibility, balance, and muscle toneAd123.
Control your blood pressure and cholesterol. High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage your arteries and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. You should check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels regularly and follow your doctor’s advice on how to manage them. You may need to take medications or make lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. Some of the factors that can help are eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol, quitting smoking, and reducing stressAd123.
Drink alcohol only in moderation. Moderate alcohol consumption may have some benefits for your heart, such as raising your HDL (good) cholesterol and preventing blood clots. However, too much alcohol can have negative effects, such as raising your blood pressure, triglycerides, and calories, and causing irregular heartbeats, liver damage, and addiction. If you drink alcohol, you should do so in moderation, which means no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquorAd123.
Manage stress and emotions. Stress can affect your heart health in many ways, such as raising your blood pressure, heart rate, and hormones, and causing inflammation, anxiety, and depression. You should try to avoid or cope with the sources of stress in your life, such as work, family, or financial problems. You can also practice some relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery, to lower your stress and calm your nervous system. You should also seek support from your friends, family, or professionals if you need help with your mental and emotional healthAd123.
These are some of the main tips to keep your heart healthy, but there are many other factors that can affect your heart health, such as your age, sex, family history, and medical conditions. You should consult your doctor regularly and follow their recommendations on how to prevent or treat any heart problems. You should also monitor your heart health by checking your pulse, blood pressure, cholesterol, and other indicators. By taking care of your heart, you can improve your quality of life and reduce your risk of serious complications.
Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisors. See our editorial policies and staff.
Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisors. See our editorial policies and staff.
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