5 Risk Factors for Heart Disease You Should Know

February is American Heart Month in the United States, which makes it a great time to shift our focus over to this important area of your health.   

There are some sobering realities when it comes to heart health, starting with the fact that, for more than a century, heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the US. We want to offset this number with a more encouraging one — 90% of heart disease is preventable if you manage your risks well.

So let’s take this discussion into this positive and preventive direction and discuss risks. In this blog post, the knowledgeable team at Michigan Avenue Primary Care reviews 5 of the biggest risk factors for heart disease and how we can best manage them.

1. High blood pressure and cholesterol

Two of the biggest risks for heart disease are high blood pressure, which affects nearly half of adults in the US, and high cholesterol levels, which are found in 86 million American adults.

Each of these conditions can damage your blood vessels and set the stage for more serious heart disease, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.

The good news is that there are ways to lower these numbers, through lifestyle changes, which we get into next, and medications that will improve your cardiovascular health.

1. Carrying excess pounds

Nearly three-quarters of Americans are either overweight or have obesity and these excess pounds can place you at much higher risk for heart disease. The links are both indirect and direct, but we can say that carrying too much weight places a good deal of stress on your cardiovascular system — stress that can lead to damage and disease.

Here again, this is a risk factor that you can change, but we know it’s easier said than done. Rest assured, we can guide you and provide resources to help you lose unhealthy pounds.

1. Smoking or vaping

Despite awareness efforts about the dangers of smoking and vaping, about 22% of our population reported using tobacco and/or nicotine products in 2021.

If there were ever a fast track to poor health, smoking and vaping is it and can have a profoundly bad effect on your heart and lungs, for starters. 

To give you an idea about why smoking and vaping are so bad for your cardiovascular health, these activities can:

• Damage blood vessels
• Encourage blockages in your arteries (atherosclerosis)
• Increase your heart rate and blood pressure
• Encourage blood clots
• Lower your HDLs, or good cholesterol

So, if you use tobacco or nicotine, and you’d like to stop, we can point you in the right direction for smoking cessation. 

1. Having diabetes

The number of people with diabetes in the US is on the rise, and now more than 40 million people have the chronic disease. One of the most common complications of diabetes is heart disease, which is another reason you should have a medical team in your corner, such as the diabetes management team here at Michigan Avenue Primary Care.

1. Not enough exercise

Last on our list is not getting enough exercise. Like everywhere else in your body, your heart’s health depends on exercise to stay fit — after all, your heart is a muscle.

If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, we want you to add more exercise to your day. You can start small with a couple of 10-minute walks, but we eventually want you to build up to 30-60 minutes per day. 

This can be relatively easy if you try some great hacks, like parking farther away and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Little by little, this exercise can improve your cardiovascular health on every level.

We know we’ve listed some pretty big changes to your life, and we want to reiterate that our team is here to help you with your heart health goals. 

For a more personalized heart disease risk management plan, please contact us at our clinic in Chicago, Illinois, in The Loop, to schedule a consultation with one of our healthcare providers. You can also visit our urgent care center during operating hours, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm.