What are the major risk factors for coronary heart disease?
• Increasing age – About four out of five people who die of coronary heart disease are age 65 or older. At older ages, women who have heart attacks are more likely than men are to die from them within a few weeks. • Male sex (gender) – Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women, and they have attacks earlier in life. Even after menopause, when women’s death rate from heart disease increases, it’s not as great as men’s. • Heredity (including race) – Children of parents with heart disease are more likely to develop it themselves. African Americans have more severe high blood pressure than whites and a higher risk of heart disease. Heart disease risk is also higher among Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian Americans. This is partly due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes. Most people with a strong family history of heart disease have one or more other risk factors. Just as you can’t control your age, sex and race, you can’t control your family
