Research has indicated that certain factors may increase a person’s risk of having heart and coronary artery disease (see section on CAD). This in turn increases the risk for having future heart problems.
Understanding about risk fators is an important first step in rehabilitation. Working to change these will help you to reduce your risk of having a cardiac event in the future.
Non-modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD)
Non-modifiable risk factors are those which cannot be changed. While each risk factor is important in its own right, the risk of developing CHD is strongly related to a combination of factors.
Non modifiable risk factors are:
- Age – Getting older increases your risk of developing heart disease
- Gender – Men are more likely to develop the condition at an earlier age than women, but as women get older the gender gap narrows.
- Ethnicity – Some ethnic groups have a different level of risk. For example, people of South Asian descent are at higher risk. In Scotland we have a high incidence of CHD but the good news is that this is reducing. Both genetics and lifestyle are likely to play a part.
- Genetics/Family history – You are at greater risk if a first-degree blood relative has had coronary heart disease or stroke before the age of 55 years (for a male relative) or 65 years (for a female relative).
Modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD)
Many of the risk factors are ‘modifiable’ – that is they can be reduced or controlled by lifestyle change or medications.
We will tell you more about these in the following sections:
