Cigarette Smoking
For
women, smoking is the greatest risk factor for heart attack, and the only one we absolutely control. Cigarette smoking puts an added strain on the heart by causing blood vessels to clamp down or
constrict. Today 22.5 million American women smoke. Any smoker who has a heart attack is more likely than a non-smoker to die from it and is two to four times more likely to die suddenly.
Women smokers who use oral contraceptives may have a much higher risk. They are up to 39 times more likely to have a heart attack and up to 22 times more likely to have a stroke than women who
neither smoke nor use birth control pills.
High Blood Pressure
Women who have undetected or uncontrolled hypertension have five times the risk of sudden death, heart attack and chest pain than women with normal blood pressure. About 27 percent of women age 18-74 have high blood pressure. This includes about 25 percent of white women and 39 percent of black women. High blood pressure is dangerous because it adds to the workload of the heart and arteries, which may contribute to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and congestive heart failure.
Women who are overweight, have a
family history of high blood pressure, or take certain types of oral contraceptives are at risk for developing high blood pressure. Women who use oral contraceptives and smoke cigarettes are at an even
higher risk for high blood pressure. women are at a greater risk for high blood pressure after menopause. According to the American heart Association, more than half of all women over age 55 have
high blood pressure. High Blood Cholesterol
The higher your blood cholesterol level, the more likely that fats and cholesterol will build up in your artery walls. This buildup is a disease called atherosclerosis. It can narrow the arteries and slow the blood flow. Often a blood clot forms in the narrowed artery and blocks off the blood vessel completely. When this happens in an artery leading to your heart, it causes a heart attack. A simple blood test measures the total amount of cholesterol in your blood by the levels of lipoproteins, or "carriers" of
cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) has been called the "good" cholesterol because research has shown that high levels of HDL are linked with a lower risk of heart disease. HDL is
believed to carry cholesterol out of the arteries to the liver, where it is passed from the body. High levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the so-called "bad" cholesterol, tend to stay
in the body and build up in the artery walls. Normally, a total blood cholesterol level below 200 mg/dl is considered good. A level between 200 and 230 mg/dl is borderline-high, and a level of 240 or
greater is considered too high. Your HDL cholesterol should be above 35 mg/dl and your LDL cholesterol below 130 mg/dl. Your doctor can explain these levels and what they mean to you. Lack of Physical Activity
More than 40 studies have shown that lack of physical activity is a risk factor for heart disease. They found that heart disease is almost twice as likely to
develop in inactive people than in those who are more active.
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