Risk Factors for Heart Disease
These are the risk factors for getting heart disease:
Someone in your family had heart disease early. Early means that your father or uncle had a heart attack or died suddenly from heart disease before they were 55 or your mother or another female relative had a heart attack before they were 65
YES - my father had a heart attack aged 42 - it didn’t kill him. His brother died from a heart attack aged about 52. So my risk level is hight on this one.
High blood pressure (sometimes called hypertension)
YES - it was noticed about 10 years ago and I have been taking Beta Blocker (atenolol) ever since. I am currently on 50mg a day.
Diabetes
No- I am OK there.
You smoke
NO - I don’t smoke
You are a man over 45
Well - this year I will be 45
You are a woman over 55
Not applicable to me
You are a woman who had the menopause early
Not applicable
Your good (HDL) cholesterol is less than 1 millimole per litre (mmol/l for short).
I didn’t get the actual figure for HDL - but I will get it next time I see my GP
You already have atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries).
I don’t know
I fall into 2 of the risk groups - and will soon be in a third risk group when I hit 45.