RISKS
Are You at Risk for Heart Attack?
If you’re lucky enough to survive
a heart attack, you may find yourself
thinking, “I felt fine, it came
out of nowhere.” But, in reality,
cardiac arrest and heart attack rarely
come out of the clear blue. There
are a number of factors that, especially
in combination, can lead to an impending
cardiac crisis.
Heart attack victims typically
have more than one of the following
risk factors.
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Family history of heart attack
- Race - African Americans, Mexican
Americans, Native Americans
and
Native Hawaiians are at greatest
risk.
- Atherosclerosis (hardening of
the arteries)
- Lack of exercise
- Stress
- Obesity
- Sex - More males have heart
attacks, although heart disease
is the leading cause of death
for American women.
Not all of these factors can be
changed, but most can. So, it’s
your responsibility to become informed
and know if you have inherent risk,
like a family history, and if there
are lifestyle issues that you can
improve for better heart health.
|
