Risk factors are conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease. They can also increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse.
Risk factors for heart disease include:
- Age : most people who die from heart disease are aged 65 or over.
- Sex : Men are generally at greater risk of heart disease. However, women's risk increases after menopause.
- A family history of heart disease : if you have parents with heart disease you are more likely to have heart disease yourself.
- Ethnic origin : some races, such as Afro-Caribbeans and some Asian communities are more prone to coronary heart disease and stroke.
- Smoking : Nicotine constricts your blood vessels, and carbon monoxide can damage their inner lining, making them more susceptible to atherosclerosis. Heart attacks are more common in smokers than in nonsmokers
- Alcohol : regularly drinking more than one drink a day for women or more than two drinks a day for men increases the risk of heart disease. This is linked to a rise in blood pressure, obesity, and the effect of heavy drinking on levels of triglycerides in the blood (a type of fat). Binge drinking appears to be particularly dangerous here, even in younger people.
- Drug abuse : cocaine abuse is well known for causing heart problems – such as fatal pacemaker irregularities, especially if alcohol is taken at the same time.
- High blood pressure : Uncontrolled high blood pressure can result in hardening and thickening of your arteries, narrowing the vessels through which blood flows.
- High blood cholesterol levels :. High levels of cholesterol in your blood can increase the risk of formation of plaques and atherosclerosis.
- Lack of exercise and obesity : people who are overweight are more likely to develop heart disease. Obesity puts extra strain on the heart, increases blood pressure, raises cholesterol levels and increases the likelihood of developing diabetes – all risk factors for heart disease. Exercise can reduce many of these risks factors, namely cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and weight.
- Diabetes : people with diabetes have a far greater likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease compared to the general population, even if their sugar levels are well controlled. More than 80 per cent of people with diabetes die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease.
- Stress : Unrelieved stress may damage your arteries and worsen other risk factors for heart disease.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar