Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Non-modifiable risk factors

There are some factors which you can do nothing about:
- Your age: The older you get, the more you are at risk. Women are much more at risk once they have reached the menopause.
- Your family history: if your parents, grandparents, or brothers and sisters suffered a cardiovascular accident at a relatively young age (before 55 for men and before 65 for women), the risk of your suffering one is higher.

Modifiable risk factors

The correction of modifiable risk factors significantly reduces the frequency of cardiovascular accidents. Two of these risk factors can be diminished by you alone, or almost:

- Smoking: smoking considerably increases your risk (not only of a cardiac accident, but also of lung cancer, cancer of the mouth or larynx, cervical cancer, or cancer of the bladder).

- A sedentary lifestyle: people who regularly practice a physical activity, even only moderately, such as taking a brisk walk at least once a week, have a longer life expectancy than those who are 'sedentary'.

For the other modifiable risk factors, you will need the help of your doctor:
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Increased cholesterol: Epidemiological studies have clearly shown the harmful effects of cholesterol. The risk of cardiac accidents increases with the increase in the blood cholesterol level when it exceeds 1.8 to 2 g per litre. In a mature man, if the cholesterol level exceeds 10% of the normal value, the risk of a cardiac accident increases by 30%. It is sometimes necessary to perform a comprehensive lipids profile and not just measure the total cholesterol level. The interpretation of this profile is a complex exercise. The lipids profile is composed of the levels of four kinds of fats present in the blood: LDL-cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol), HDL-cholesterol ("good" cholesterol), total cholesterol, and triglycerides. When these figures are abnormal, it is the doctor who must adapt the person¿s diet and treatment, often with the help of a dietician.