Heart Disease: Know Your Risk

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• Factors You Can Control
• Factors You Can’t Control
• Other Possible Factors

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Reading those words may make you feel like you have no control. But many things can affect whether or not you develop heart disease, some of which you can control. That's why it is important to understand your personal risk factors.

Risk factors are conditions, habits, family history, and other facts about yourself that make you more likely to develop certain diseases. The more risk factors you have, the higher your risk of getting certain diseases. Some risk factors such as age or family history can’t be controlled. But many can be controlled by making changes in the way you live. In this section you can learn more about the different kinds of risk factors that you can and can’t control.

Additional Resources

Publications

1.     The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women — Every woman should be concerned about heart disease, the leading cause of death for American women. This easy-to-use, easy-to-read handbook explains factors that place women at risk of heart disease and recommends steps they can take to protect their heart health.

   http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/hhw/hdbk_wmn.pdf

2. Facts about Women and Cardiovascular Diseases (Copyright © AHA) — Many women are still unaware of their risk for cardiovascular disease. This American Heart Association fact sheet gives statistics that tell why women should be concerned.

   http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2876

3.   Women and Heart Disease Fact Sheet (Copyright © Women’s Heart Foundation) — This publication compares the symptoms, treatment, and survival rates of heart disease between men and women.

   http://www.womensheart.org/PDFs/FactSheet_WHD.pdf

4. Women's Heart Disease Risk Quiz (Copyright © WHF) — Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women. Do you think that you are at risk for heart disease? Take this quiz and find out.

   http://www.womensheartfoundation.org/content/HeartDisease/heart_disease_risk_quiz.asp...

5. Women, Heart Disease and Stroke (Copyright © American Heart Association) — Heart disease is not just a man’s disease. Women are at risk too. This publication discusses risk factors for heart disease and explains the difference between risks you can and can’t control. The factors you can control — like lifestyle changes — can help lower your heart disease risk.

   http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4786

Organizations

1.   Heart Truth
2.   National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, OPHS, HHS
3.   National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, HHS
4. American Heart Association
5. Mended Hearts, Inc.
6. Sister to Sister: The Women's Heart Health Foundation
7. Texas Heart Institute
8. WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated: February 1, 2009