Knowing your family history can save your life - especially if your parents or grandparents had heart disease ?. Like many medical conditions, heart problems can run in families, but this does not mean that there is nothing you can do to avoid them.
Everyone has risk factors, and discovering if you have heart problems in your family tree, you can take an important first step in managing your risk.
What is a risk factor?
a risk factor is something that makes you more or less likely to have, or get, a type of medical condition
. You can not control some risk factors for heart disease, such as age, sex, or family history. But you can control other risk factors, especially those related to habits and lifestyle choices, such as your weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, the ability to cope with stress and smoking.
Am I at risk of heart problems?
Understanding your family history is the key to managing your risk factors. A first step is whether your parents, grandparents and other close relatives, such as aunts, uncles, siblings, have or have had:
- high cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- heart attack
- stroke
- diabetes
- heart rhythm problems
- heart muscle disease
- A history of blood clots or blood vessel problems
what can I do to reduce my risk of heart disease?
one would think that if heart disease in your family, there is nothing you can do to avoid it - but this should not be true. You can do a lot of healthy choices that will help you keep your risk low.
Examinations and projections
Start with a visit to your doctor and get regular checkups and screenings to keep an eye on your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. You can also talk with your doctor about the signs and symptoms to watch, and other tests and screenings you may need as you age.
The treatment plans
If you have a condition that increases your risk, including high blood pressure, follow your doctor's orders. Stay on your medications and make sure to get prescriptions refilled before you run. Never stop taking medications without talking to your doctor.
healthy lifestyle choices and heart health
Because many cardiac risk factors related to lifestyle, you can make healthy choices that keep your low risk.
Eat healthy for the heart, get regular physical activity, find healthy ways to cope with stress, and to quit or avoid the use of tobacco products. If you struggle with healthy lifestyle choices, talk to your doctor. Many hospitals offer lifestyle management programs to help people stay on track.
For more information, visit the Heart and Vascular Institute at UPMC or call 1-855-UPMC-HVI (876-2484) .
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