Cardiac Risk Factors

View a Slide Presentation by Dr. Levin 4/01

 

In the US, 2600 people die daily from Cardiovascular Disease

UPDATE 7/2000: Heart Attacks can occur without chest pain. When this is the case, there can be a substantial delay is seeking care and getting apporpriate treatment. Consequenty, this can lead to worse patient outcomes according to a study recently reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Canto et al, JAMA 2000:283). In this study, the records of 434, 877 patients were examined showing that up to one-third of patients with proven heart attacks did not have chest pain on presentation to the hospital. Patients having heart attacks without chest pain were often older, more commonly female, and more often had diabetes or history of heart failure compared to patients with chest pain. More importantly, these patients tended to come to the hospital later than those with chest pain and they received less aggressive therapy directed at their heart attack. They were also more likely to die in the hospital.

Major Risk Factors

  • High Blood Pressure
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Family History
    • Male relative < 55
    • Female relative < 65
  • High Cholesterol
    • High LDL or
    • Low HDL < 35
  • Age
    • Male > 45
    • Female > 55
  • 'New' Risk Factors

 

NEW:Calculate Your Risk for Developing Heart Disease

The Facts About Heart Disease

1 out of every 2 men and 1 of 2 women will develop some form of heart disease sometime in their life. Regardless of whether you have heart disease or not, you can reduce your risk for having a heart attack, stroke, or another manifestation of heart disease by paying close attention to your cardiac risk factors. This means watching what you eat, lowering high cholesterol, managing diabetes and high blood pressure, and getting regular exercise.

  • Coronary Heart Disease is the Most Common Cause of Death
  • Nearly 14 million people have a history of Coronary Heart Disease
  • 1/6 of people killed by Cardiovascular Disease are under age 65
  • Over 6 Million people visit the Emergency Department each year because of chest pain
  • Approximately 1.2 Million people will suffer a Heart Attack this year
    • 370,000 will die
    • 250,000 will die within the first hour
  • Stroke is the 3rd Leading Cause of Death and the most common cause of disability

Read about new Trends in Treating Heart Attacks

Do You Know The Warning Signs of a Heart Attack?

http://westsubcardiology.com | ©West Suburban Cardiologists, Ltd | All Rights Reserved
About This Site | Disclaimer | Web site by: Thomas Levin, MD

Hinsdale | Illinois Masonic | LaGrange | Oak Lawn | Weiss | Westchester