Am I at Risk?

Many of these risk factors impact heart health and can be directly linked to your lifestyle. Learning how to manage them will reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Risk factors impacted by lifestyle

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Physical inactivity
• Smoking
• Stress
• Depression

Pre-determined risk factors

• Age
• Heredity/ethnicity—Heart disease tends to run in families. Heart disease risk is also higher among Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian Americans.
• Gender—Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women do, and they have attacks earlier in life. Even after menopause, when women’s death rate from heart disease increases, it is still not as great as men’s.