Risk Factor
The good news is that heart disease is largely preventable. There is no single cause for heart disease, but there are risk factors that increase your chance of developing it.
Non-modifiable risk factors
- increasing age
- having family history of heart disease
Modifiable risk factors
- smoking - both active smoking and being exposed to second-hand smoke
- high blood cholesterol
- high blood pressure
- diabetes
- being physically inactive
- being overweight
- depression, social isolation and lack of quality support
One of the most important things you can do is talk to your doctor about your risk of heart disease. Heart disease is not always obvious and often there are no symptoms. That is why it is so important when you next visit your doctor to have your risk factors measured – whether or not you think anything is wrong with you.
