The good news is that heart disease is largely preventable. One of the most important things you can do is talk to your doctor about your risk of heart disease. Make an appointment with your doctor to have your risk factors measured – whether or not you think anything is wrong with you.
Your doctor can measure your overall risk of getting heart disease and recommend tests if they are appropriate for you. This might include checking your:
• blood pressure
• blood cholesterol levels
• blood sugar levels.
The reality is, anyone with a heart is at risk of heart disease. The more risk factors you have, the greater your risk. If you know your family’s heart health history, tell your doctor. And be open about your lifestyle – tell your doctor if you smoke or drink, what kinds of food you eat and how much physical activity you do. This information will help your doctor to measure your risk properly so that they can give you the right advice and treatment to reduce your risk of getting heart disease.
Risk factors
There are two types of heart disease risk factors – those you can’t change (non-modifiable) and those you can change (modifiable).
Non-modifiable risk factors include:
• increasing age
• having a family history of heart disease
• your history of heart disease.
Modifiable risk factors include:
• smoking
• high blood cholesterol
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• being overweight
• depression and social isolation.
Smoking
Quitting smoking is the single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of heart disease. The damage to your arteries starts the day you start smoking because it reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood and damages the artery walls, which can lead to a heart attack.
Smoking can:
• increase your risk of heart attack by two to six times
• increase your risk of stroke by three times
• increase your risk of peripheral arterial disease by more than five times
• increase the likelihood of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (swelling of the body’s main artery in the abdomen, which may rupture) by six to seven times
• increase your risk of coronary heart disease if you are a woman using the oral contraceptive pill.
As you can see there are very compelling reasons to quit smoking. If you need help getting started, visit the Quit website or call 131 848.
Click here to find out how to further reduce your risk of heart disease.
Back to the top
High Blood Cholesterol
High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced naturally by the body and is found in our blood. It is used for many different things in the body, but is a problem when there is too much of it in our blood.
Too much cholesterol in the blood causes fatty deposits to gradually build up in blood vessels, making it harder for blood to flow through. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Your total blood cholesterol level is made of two types of blood cholesterol:
- Low density lipoprotein (LDL) is also known as ‘bad’ cholesterol because it can add to the build up of plaque in your arteries and increase your risk of getting heart disease. High density lipoprotein (HDL) is also known as ‘good’ cholesterol because it helps to protect you against heart disease.
- Triglycerides are another type of fat in your blood that can increase your risk of heart disease.
Generally, the lower your levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and the higher your levels of HDL cholesterol, the better. Having a low level of the good cholesterol (HDL), can be an even more potent risk for heart disease in women than in men.
Click here to find out how to further reduce your risk of heart disease.
Back to the top
Physical inactivity
The body is designed to move. Regular, moderate-intensity physical activity is good for your heart. Being active can be fun and make you feel good about yourself. It is never too late to start being active.
People who aren’t regularly physically active are almost twice as likely to suffer from heart disease than those people who regularly participate in moderate-intensity physical activity.
Click here to find out how to further reduce your risk of heart disease.
Back to the top
Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that affects the way body cells take up and use glucose from the blood; therefore, raised blood glucose levels identify diabetes. Diabetes increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, for example, heart attack, angina or stroke. People with cardiovascular disease frequently have type 2 diabetes.
People with diabetes and coronary heart disease are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. The reported increase in diabetes in Australia is thought to be associated with more people being physically inactive, having unfavourable eating habits and being overweight.
There are two main types of diabetes:
• type 1 previously known as insulin dependent or juvenile onset diabetes
• type 2 previously known as non-insulin dependent or mature onset diabetes
The most common type of diabetes is type 2 diabetes, which makes up 90% of cases of diabetes.
For more information visit Diabetes Australia.
Click here to find out how to further reduce your risk of heart disease.
Back to the top
High blood pressure
High blood pressure is one of the most common disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels. This condition is common in Australian women, especially after menopause.
Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood in your arteries (the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the body) as it is pumped around the body by the heart. Your blood pressure will go up and down throughout the day, depending on the time of day and what you are doing. However, high blood pressure is a condition where your blood pressure is consistently high, potentially causing damage to your heart, brain and other important organs.
High blood pressure (also called 'hypertension') can strain your heart and speed up the process of atherosclerosis and development of heart disease. This can lead to problems such as a heart attack and stroke.
If not detected and treated, high blood pressure can also affect arteries to other parts of your body, such as the eyes, kidneys and legs. In addition, the higher your blood pressure is, the harder your heart must work to pump blood around the body. This may weaken your heart because of the constant extra demand, which may cause heart failure.
To find out if you have high blood pressure it is important to have your blood pressure measured regularly. The serious effects of high blood pressure usually develop only after it has been high for some years. In the meantime, there are often no symptoms to warn you.
Blood pressure is usually measured by wrapping an inflatable pressure bag or 'cuff' around the upper arm. As your doctor pumps the cuff around your arm, the pressure rises and it squeezes the main artery in the arm until no blood flows through it. When the air is released from the bag the pressure slowly falls. During this time two readings are made.
1. Systolic blood pressure measures the pressure in the artery as the heart contracts to pump blood into the artery (e.g. 120).
2. Diastolic blood pressure measures the pressure in the artery as the heart relaxes (e.g. 70).
Blood pressure varies from moment to moment. It is affected by many factors, including body position, breathing, your emotional state, physical activity and sleep. There is no ‘normal’ or 'ideal' blood pressure reading, but the following is a guide.
- Normal blood pressure: less than 120/80 mmHg
- Normal to high blood pressure: between 120/80 and 140/90 mmHg
- High blood pressure: equal to or more than 140/90 mmHg
- Very high blood pressure: equal to or more than 180/110 mmHg
Click here to find out how to further reduce your risk of heart disease.
Back to the top
Being overweight
Being overweight increases your risk of a number of health problems, including:
• heart disease
• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• high blood cholesterol
• gall bladder disease
• joint problems, e.g. gout, arthritis and joint pain
• sleep problems, e.g. sleep apnoea
• certain types of cancer.
Body weight is affected by a number of factors, but the two key factors are:
1. the amount of energy (kilojoules) that we put into our bodies from food and drinks
2. the amount of energy (kilojoules) that we use up through physical activity and other daily activities.
The keys to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are to enjoy healthy eating and be physically active. To lose weight, you need to use up more energy (kilojoules) through physical activity and consume less energy (kilojoules) from food and drinks.
Click here to find out how to further reduce your risk of heart disease.
Back to the top
Depression and social isolation
Studies have shown that some people who have depression, are socially isolated, or do not have quality social support are at greater risk of developing CHD.
Depression can be treated with medical and non-medical therapies. If you think that you have depression, talking to your health professional is the best first step.
For more information about depression, visit beyond blue
Click here to find out how to further reduce your risk of heart disease.
Back to the top