A risk factor is something that increases your likelihood of getting a disease or condition.

It is possible to develop a heart [11] attack with or without the risk factors listed below. However, the more risk factors you have, the greater your likelihood of having a heart [11] attack. If you have a number of risk factors, ask your healthcare provider what you can do to reduce your risk.

Some risk factors are lifestyle habits that you can modify. Other factors, like family history, are out of your control.

Lifestyle Factors

Smoking and Second-Hand Smoke

Cigarette smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to have a heart [11] attack and are more likely to die from a heart [11] attack than nonsmokers. Patients who continue to smoke in the presence of already established coronary heart [11] disease are at increased risk for repeated myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death.

While the risk is not as great as with smoking cigarettes, smoking other products or inhaling second-hand smoke increases the risk of heart [11] disease and heart [11] attack. Each year in America almost 40,000 deaths from heart [11] disease are caused by passive smoking.

Physical Inactivity

Regular moderate to intense exercise [12] improves heart [11] function and promotes healthy arteries. It also helps to reduce high blood pressure, helps to lower cholesterol [13], as well as may help to prevent the development of diabetes [14]. Also, there is strong evidence to suggest that regular physical exercise [12] has beneficial effects for patients with already established heart [11] disease.

Physical inactivity is at least responsible for a twofold increase in the risk of coronary events.

Excessive Alcohol Intake

Drinking too much alcohol can increase blood pressure and lead to other heart [11] problems. But drinking moderate amounts of alcohol seems to lower the risk of heart [11] disease. Moderate means an average of one drink per day for women or two drinks per day for men.

It is important to remember, however, that moderate ingestion of alcohol poses several health [15] risks. Based on currently available data, taking up regular consumption of alcohol is not encouraged for middle-aged men who do not drink or drink sporadically.

Cocaine Abuse

Cocaine abuse can lead to various health [15] complications. Myocardial infarction (heart attack) is, however, one of the most frequently encountered. Cocaine is a very strong stimulant that causes rapid increase in blood pressure and heart [11] rate; therefore, the drug places strong stress [16] on the heart [11].

Certain Medical Conditions

High Blood Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy substance crucial to many body processes, but excess cholesterol [17] leads to plaque buildup in the arteries. This, in turn, makes it more difficult for blood to flow to your heart [11]. Higher cholesterol [13] levels increase your risk of heart [11] disease.

High Blood Pressure

When your blood pressure is high [18] , your heart [11] has to work [19] harder than normal to pump blood through your body. This causes the heart [11] to grow larger and weaker.

Obesity and Overweight

Even if you have no other risk factors, being obese [20] or overweight will increase your risk of heart [11] disease. It also adds to your chances of developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol [13], and type 2 diabetes [21] , which are also risk factors for heart [11] disease. Even losing as few as 10 or 20 pounds will lower your risk of heart [11] disease.

Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease in which the body does not produce or effectively use insulin. Even if you maintain good control of your blood sugar, your risk of heart [11] disease is higher than someone who does not have diabetes [14].About 60% of patients with diabetes [14] die of heart [11] disease and/or stroke.

Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions (elevated blood pressure, increased insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist or increased cholesterol [13] levels) that occur together and significantly increase the risk of heart [11] disease.

Increasing Age

Older adults are more likely to die of heart [11] disease. About 80% of heart [11] disease deaths occur in people age 65 or older.

Gender

Men tend to have heart [11] attacks earlier in life than women. Women’s rate of heart [11] attack increases after menopause [22] but does not equal men’s rate. Even so, heart [11] disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

Genetic Factors

You are more likely to develop heart [11] disease if your parents [23] have heart [11] disease.

Racial and Ethnic Background

African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and some Asian Americans are more likely than Caucasians to develop heart [11] disease. African Americans are more likely to have severe high blood pressure, which is associated with heart [11] disease. The other ethnic groups at increased risk have higher rates of obesity and diabetes [14], which are associated with heart [11] disease.