Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors

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Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors

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By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD

There are several factors that raise a person’s risk of developing coronary heart disease and its often life threatening complications. While some of these factors such as older age, male gender and genetic predisposition are non-modifiable, there are also several lifestyle factors that can be adjusted to reduce the risk of the coronary artery disease such as smoking and high blood pressure.

Some examples of the risk factors for coronary heart disease include:

Smoking – The greater a person’s number of pack years (packs per year), the greater their risk of developing coronary artery disease.

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Coronary-Artery-Disease-Risk-Factors.aspx

[Applewood]

I  other words, just living puts you at risk for coronary artery disease. 

Seriously, I'd wager nearly everyone has at lest one risk factor for coronary artery disease.   What I'd like to know is, how do some people manage to avoid heart disease even though they smoke, have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, while others dont?

[Restored]

I worked with a Seventh Day Adventist to stayed on a strict diet but he had 80+% blockage in his carotid anyway. His family had always suffered from it. I suspect that is much of it.

SDA's follow the Jewish dietary laws but lean toward vegetarianism.

[Applewood]

I don't see heredity listed as one of the factors.  I know in my family, heart disease is prevalent on both sides.  My parents both had heart diseaee, as did their parents and siblings.   Strangely, my family is not prone to cancer.  An aunt died from colon cancer, but she was not a blood relative. 

[Silver Pines]

I  other words, just living puts you at risk for coronary artery disease. 

Seriously, I'd wager nearly everyone has at lest one risk factor for coronary artery disease.   What I'd like to know is, how do some people manage to avoid heart disease even though they smoke, have high blood pressure and/or high cholesterol, while others dont?

@Applewood

I looked at the list, and my risk factor is eating saturated fats.  I love meat.

Whaddaya gonna do, lol. 

[Silver Pines]

I don't see heredity listed as one of the factors.  I know in my family, heart disease is prevalent on both sides.  My parents both had heart diseaee, as did their parents and siblings.   Strangely, my family is not prone to cancer.  An aunt died from colon cancer, but she was not a blood relative.

@Applewood

My father-in-law is an active man---he has his own gym room---and there isn't a pound of excess weight on him.  Yet his father had heart disease, and my FIL takes medication for his cholesterol.  He had a triple bypass when he was in his late forties.