If you have heart disease, you may wonder why you have it. The
answer is that many personal characteristics, health conditions, and
lifestyle habits can contribute to heart disease. These are called
risk factors.
But risk factors do more than simply contribute to heart problems.
They also increase the chances that existing heart disease will
worsen. Since you already have heart disease, it is very important
to find out about all of your risk factors and take active steps to
control them.
Certain risk factors, such as getting older, can’t be changed. Starting
at age 45, a man’s risk of heart disease begins to rise, while a woman’s
risk begins to increase at age 55. Family history of early heart
disease is another risk factor that can’t be changed. If your father
or brother had a heart attack before age 55, or if your mother or
sister had one before age 65, you are more likely to develop heart
disease yourself.
While certain risk factors can’t be changed, it’s important to realize
that you do have control over many others. Regardless of your age
or family history, or how serious your heart disease is, you can take
steps to reduce your risk of a first or repeat heart attack. You can
also manage other problems associated with heart disease, such as
angina, heart failure, and arrhythmias.
It may be tempting to believe that doing just one healthy thing will
be enough to control heart disease. For example, you may hope that
if you walk or swim regularly, you can still eat a lot of fatty foods
and stay safe. Not so. To reduce your risk of a heart attack and
other complications, it is vital to make changes that address each
risk factor you have. You can make the changes gradually, one at
a time. But making them is very important.
While each risk factor may contribute to worsened heart disease,
the more risk factors you have, the higher your risk. That’s because
risk factors tend to “gang up” and worsen each other’s effects. For
example, if you have high blood cholesterol and diabetes, your heart
attack risk increases enormously. The message is clear: If you have
heart disease, you must take immediate steps to reduce your risk of
life-threatening medical problems. It’s your heart and you have
everything to gain from taking good care of it.
You and Your Doctor: A Healthy Partnership
Your doctor can be an important partner in helping you manage
h e a rt disease. He or she may already have spoken with you about
your heart disease risk factors, but if not, be sure to ask about how to
control all of them to help prevent future pro b l e m s . H e re are some
tips for establishing good, clear communication with your doctor.
Speak up. Tell your doctor that you want to keep your heart disease
from getting worse and would like help in achieving that goal. Ask
questions about your chances of having a first heart attack or a
repeat heart attack, your risk of other heart complications, and ways
to lower those risks. If you haven’t done so already, ask for tests
that will determine your personal risk factors.
Be open. When your doctor asks you questions, answer them as
honestly and fully as you can. While certain
topics may seem quite personal, discussing
them openly can help your doctor work
with you more effectively to
manage your heart condition.
Keep it simple. If you don’t
understand something your
doctor says, ask for an explanation in
plain language. Be especially sure you
understand how to make the
lifestyle changes your doctor
recommends, as well as
why and how to take
each medication you’re
given. If you’re wor-
ried about under-
standing what the
doctor says, or if you have trouble hearing, bring a friend or relative
with you to your appointment. You may want to ask that person to
write down the doctor’s instructions for you.
