Q. What variables are known to lead to higher rates of a person having cardiovascular disease?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Cardiovascular diseases are caused by a variety of factors, many of which we can control and some that we cannot. Understanding the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease is paramount to prevention and management. Some of the known variables that lead to higher rates of cardiovascular disease include:
1)Age: As you age, the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease increases due to a decreased flexibility in arteries, weakened heart muscles, and narrowing or calcification arteries;
2)Gender: Men tend to be at greater risk for coronary artery problems than women prior to menopause;
3)Genetics/Family History: A family history of heart disease increases your personal chance for developing it as well;
4)High Blood Pressure (hypertension): Hypertension is one of the most powerful predictors for CVD onset & progression;
5)High Cholesterol Levels (hyperlipidemia): High triglyceride levels combined with low HDL cholesterol levels increase risks for poor outcomes from coronary artery problems significantly more than high LDL alone. Additionally, increased levels small dense LDL particles have been linked with accelerated CVD progressions;
6)Smoking & Tobacco Use: Smoking can contribute towards plaque buildup in arterial walls, making them narrow over time and increasing chances for stroke or heart attack;
7 Diet/Lifestyle Habits: An unhealthy diet paired with physical inactivity are two common lifestyle habits linked to an elevated risk profile when it comes to cardiovascular health. In particular diets high in saturated fat that promote obesity can leave your body vulnerable because they often result in elevated blood pressure & cholesterol levels while promoting inflammation throughout - both key indicators leading towards development or acceleration of atherosclerosis (plaque buildup); 8 Diabetes Mellitus / Metabolic Syndrome: People who suffer from diabetes have much more difficulty controlling their sugar / lipid metabolism resulting in reduced circulatory health; this inability often leads further downstream into other serious complications such as chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), Stroke or Heart Attack. Those diagnosed with metabolic syndrome already present an elevated predisposition towards CVD since multiple health conditions affect metabolism simultaneously leaving room for higher systemic inflammation markers which add onto existing chances even more so!