Cardiovascular Risk Factors
The risk of a first or subsequent heart attack is often due to the presence of cardiovascular risk factors. This risk can be decreased by managing these risk factors with lifestyle changes and medications.
Managing cardiovascular risk means:
Each of these topics are discussed in detail with data supporting the potential benefits of managing risk and tips for how to succeed. (topics to be added)
Managing cardiovascular risk means:
- Making sound choices around diet and exercise
- Appropriate management of the standard cardiovascular risk factors:
- Blood Pressure
- Cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Smoking
Each of these topics are discussed in detail with data supporting the potential benefits of managing risk and tips for how to succeed. (topics to be added)
Lifestyle Changes
Whether you have had a heart attack, a heart “Scare” or just wont to avoid one, managing lifestyle is the single most important thing you can do. Sadly it is often neglected in preference to medication or other therapies. However prevention is better than cure as many of my patients will attest. This is because the benefits of lifestyle change extend beyond the reduced risk, are cheap and have limited side effects unlike medications.
Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Heart attacks or Acute Myocardial Infarctions (AMI) occur because of buildup of plaque (fat) in the wall of the arteries supplying the heart muscle. If blood to the heart muscle is insufficient then a heart attack will occur and the heart muscle will become scarred. There are many reasons why arteries become blocked with plaque and identifying and managing these risks are very important to prevent either a first or subsequent heart attack and stroke.
Additional Risk Factors
Whilst lifestyle and the standard modifiable risk factors above account for most of the cardiovascular risk other minor risk factors may also contribute. Often these minor risk factors can be targeted to further decrease the risk of a first or subsequent heart attack/stroke.