What Puts Me At Risk?

There are some conditions that increase your chances of heart disease or stroke. Some risks can be changed and others cannot. The more risks you have, the greater your chance of developing heart disease or stroke. You can make simple changes to lower your risk and be heart-healthy and stroke-free.

Heart disease and stroke are more likely if you:

Are older
Are male (although heart disease is the second leading cause of death in women)
Have a family history of cardiovascular disease
Are African American, American Indian or Alaskan Native
Have already had a stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA) or heart attack
Have high blood pressure (hypertension)
Use tobacco or are exposed to tobacco smoke
Have high blood cholesterol – high total cholesterol and high LDL or "bad" cholesterol
Have low HDL ("good") cholesterol
Have diabetes*
Are not physically active
Are overweight or obese

*If you have diabetes, you can reduce of risk of getting heart disease by working with your health care provider to manage other risk factors, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Other stroke risks that can be treated or controlled include:

Artery disease
Atrial fibrillation
Other heart disease
Sickle cell disease

Some risk factors can be addressed by individuals, as well as communities and society as a whole. These risks contribute to heart disease or stroke risk: