Other Risk Factors
Sedentary life style. Although evidence linking a sedentary life style to increased likelihood
of heart disease is indirect, physically active people are known to have wider coronary arteries, which
presumably would not be as prone to blockage as those sedentary people.
Type A personality. In recent years, much discussion has focused on the relationship between the
type A personality, characterized by anxiety, impatience and perfectionism, and the risk of a heart attack.
Although many assessments have confirmed this relationship, scientific proof definitely linking personality
type and the development of heart disease is yet to come.
Diabetes. People with diabetes, a serious disease in which the body cannot regulate its blood sugar
(glucose), have a higher incidence of coronary disease and heart attacks. The incidence is increased further
if the diabetic has other risk factors.
Obesity. the Framingham Study recently concluded that obesity alone increases the risk of heart
disease -- a hypothesis that has been debated for years. Since obesity often coexists with hypertension,
diabetes and a sedentary life style, weight control is an important factor in reducing a number of coronary
risk factors.
Sex and age. Some risk factors, such as age and aging and a personīs sex, are unavoidable. Statistics
show that men under the age of 45 years are 10 times as likely to develop coronary artery disease as women in
the same age group. Between the ages of 45 and 60 years, however, the sex difference diminishes. After age
60 years, the incidence of coronary artery disease is about equally distributed between men and women.
Family history. An inherited susceptibility is also an important risk factor that cannot be avoided.
Some manifestations, such as high blood pressure or an inherited tendency to have very high blood blood
cholesterol levels (familial hyper-cholesterolemia) can be controlled by drugs and diet.
Summing Up
The relationship between heart disease and certain risk factors, such as high blood cholesterol, hypertension
and cigarette smoking, has been established by many studies. Because coronary artery disease is the leading
cause of death (via heart attacks) in the United States, prevention takes on a special importance. Reduction
of dietary fat, cessation of cigarette smoking, control of hypertension, weight loss and exercise are all steps
that help check the development of atherosclerotic coronary disease and reduce the risk of heart attack.
