Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease

Posted: July 1, 2005

Two of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease are high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.

High blood pressure
About 90 percent of the current population of middle-aged Americans will develop high blood pressure in their lifetime.

Over 70 percent of people with high blood pressure do not have it under control.

Lowering your blood pressure has many health benefits. A 12 to 13 point reduction in blood pressure can reduce heart attacks by 21 percent, strokes by 37 percent, and all deaths from cardiovascular disease by 25 percent.

High blood cholesterol
Over 80 percent of those who have high blood cholesterol do not have it under control. Lowering your cholesterol even a small percentage makes a difference in your heart health. A 10 percent decrease in total blood cholesterol levels may reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease by as much as 30 percent.

How often should blood pressure and cholesterol be checked?
Current guidelines recommend that all adults have their blood pressure checked regularly (at least once a year unless your doctor advises more frequent checks).

Blood cholesterol levels should be checked every five years unless more frequent checks are recommended by your doctor.

Other important risk factors for heart disease and stroke are:

• Diabetes
• Tobacco use
• Physical inactivity
• Poor nutrition
• Being overweight

Also to help lower one’s risk of death from cardiovascular disease, people need to be educated about the signs and symptoms of heart attacks and stroke. In these situations, it’s very important to call 911 quickly. Forty-seven percent of heart attack victims and about the same percentage of stroke victims die before emergency medical personnel arrive.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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