Home | Site Map | Contact Us| Reference
 |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Coronary Artery Disease
What Makes Coronary Artery Disease More Likely?
About 13 million people in the U.S. have CAD. It is the number one killer of both men and women. Each year, more than half a million Americans die from CAD.
There are factors that make it more likely that you will develop CAD. These are called risk factors.
Risk factors that you cannot do anything about are:
• Age. As you get older, your risk for CAD increases.
o In men, risk increases after age 45
o In women, risk increases after age 55.
• Family history of early heart disease:
o Heart disease diagnosed before age 55 in father or brother
o Heart disease diagnosed before age 65 in mother or sister.
Risk factors that you can do something about include:
• High blood cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Cigarette smoking
• Diabetes
• Being overweight or obese
• Lack of physical activity.
The more risk factors you have, the greater your chance for developing CAD.
Promising Research
Scientists continue to study the cause and the risk factors for CAD.
• Some recent studies show that having high levels of a substance called C-reactive protein (CRP) in your blood appears to be associated with an increased risk of developing CAD and having a heart attack. CRP levels in the blood rise when there is inflammation, a body process that is a response to injury. The inflammatory process appears to contribute to the growth of plaque in the artery. Inflammation can occur as a result of an infection.
• Research is under way to find out if reducing inflammation and lowering CRP levels can also reduce the risk for CAD and heart attack.
What Is Coronary Artery Disease?
What Causes Coronary Artery Disease?
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease?
How is Coronary Artery Disease Diagnosed?
