What are the risk factors for Atherosclerosis and Heart Attack?

Factors that increase the risk of developing Atherosclerosis and Heart Attacks include increased blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, use of tobacco, diabetes mellitus, male gender, and a family history of coronary heart disease.


* High Blood Cholesterol: A high level of cholesterol in the blood is associated with an increased risk of Heart Attack because cholesterol is the major component of the plaques deposited in arterial walls. Cholesterol, like oil, cannot dissolve in the blood unless it is combined with special proteins called lipoproteins.


* High Blood Pressure: High blood pressure is a risk factor for developing Atherosclerosis and Heart Attack. Both high systolic pressure and high diastolic pressure  increase the risk of Heart Attack. It has been shown that controlling hypertension with medications can reduce the risk of Heart Attack. For more, please see the High Blood Pressure article.

* Tobacco Use: Tobacco and tobacco smoke contain chemicals that cause damage to blood vessel walls, accelerate the development of Atherosclerosis, and increase the risk of Heart Attack. For more, please see the Smoking and Quitting Smoking article.

* Diabetes: Both insulin dependent and non–insulin dependent diabetes mellitus are associated with accelerated Atherosclerosis throughout the body.

* Male Gender: At all ages, men are more likely than women to develop Atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Some scientists believe that this difference is partly due to the higher blood levels of HDL cholesterol in women than in men. However, this gender difference narrows as men and women grow older.

* Family History of Heart Disease: Individuals with a family history of coronary heart diseases have an increased risk of Heart Attack. Specifically, the risk is higher if there is a family history of early coronary heart disease, including a Heart Attack.

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