Knowledge is power… and understanding the causes of cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease (CAD), is the first step in preventing a heart attack. Most heart attacks occur unexpectedly, and many risk factors can contribute to this life-threatening event. Please take a moment to review the following checklist of eight critical risk factors and mark any that apply to you:

1. Smoking

2. Hypertension (high blood pressure)

3. High cholesterol 

4. Family history of heart disease

5. Diabetes

6. Inactivity (less than 30 minutes of exercise per day)

7. Waist measurement greater than 35” (for women) or 40” (for men) 
8. Postmenopausal women 

If you have checked two or more of these risk factors, you should talk to your primary care physician as soon as possible about being screened for heart disease. Working with your doctor, you can take three major steps towards better cardiovascular health:

1. Test for atherosclerosis, the plaque formation in the vessel wall and subsequent hardening of the coronary arteries that may decrease the blood supply to your heart.

2. Determine your personal level of risk for cardiovascular disease.

3. Formulate a personal treatment plan with your physician, according to this level of risk.