Answers for Heart Disease Risk Screening

If you have 0-3 points: You have a low risk. Keep up the good work.

If you have 4-6 points: You have a moderate risk. Easy lifestyle changes are encouraged.

If you have 7 or more points: You have a high risk. We suggest you schedule an appointment with your primary care physician as soon as possible to discuss ways to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Following is more information about each question.

1. To keep our heart muscles exercised, experts recommend that we all engage in aerobic activity at least 30 minutes a day (fitness walking, cycling, jogging, swimming, aerobic dance, active sports or gardening) three or four days a week. Research now indicates that daily exercise does not need to be accomplished all at once, but can be broken into 10 or 15 minute segments if necessary without too much diminished effect on the heart.

2. Smoking more than doubles your chance of having a heart attack. The chemicals in tobacco smoke directly affect the heart and blood vessels. Studies have shown that second-hand smoke also increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. Besides drastically decreasing your risk of heart disease, quitting smoking will also decrease your risk of cancer, your heart rate and blood pressure; save you money; make breathing easier and give you more stamina; and improve your sense of taste and smell. For more stop smoking resources, go to our classes and events calendar.

3. Caffeine increases your risk of heart disease indirectly - it can raise your blood pressure and the level of \"bad\" (LDL) cholesterol in your blood. Most experts say drinking a moderate amount of two cups of caffeinated beverages a day is okay. If you drink coffee, instant or filtered drip coffee is best to safeguard against the two chemicals in coffee that help raise LDL levels. Be aware, however, that if you drink five or six cups of coffee, even if de-caf and passed through a paper filter, it can raise your risk of having a heart attack. Go easy on coffee house cappuccinos and espressos that don't go through a paper filter.

4. High blood pressure, or hypertension, directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease (heart attack) and stroke (brain attack). With high blood pressure, the arteries may have an increased resistance against the flow of blood, causing the heart to pump harder to circulate the blood. According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure for adults is defined as: 140 mm Hg or greater systolic pressure and/or 90 mm Hg or greater diastolic pressure. If you have high blood pressure, please follow the advice of your primary care physician. If you don't know your blood pressure, it pays to get it checked. For a list of free blood pressure screenings, go to our classes and events calendar.

5. Elevated cholesterol or abnormal lipid levels is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Since there are no symptoms to signal that you have high blood cholesterol, many people are unaware that their cholesterol level is too high. Lowering levels that are too high lessens the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease, even if you already have been diagnosed. For information about cholesterol screenings through our monthly Heart Risk Assessments, go to our classes and events calendar.

6. Being overweight is considered a major, modifiable risk factor for coronary heart disease. Obese people are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease even if they have no other risk factors. Extra weight makes your heart pumps harder, thereby raising oxygen demand and leading to high blood pressure. It also increases LDL cholesterol levels and triglycerides, increases production of clot promoting proteins and leads to increased risk of diabetes. The American Heart Association defines obesity as a body mass index greater than 30. By increasing the heart's workload, excess weight can lead to high blood pressure. To find your BMI, use our interactive Body Mass Tool. For a BMI reference chart, go to our online interactive tools and click on our weight loss module.

7. A heart healthy eating plan limits the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol and increases the plant type foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Eat foods as close to their natural \"whole\" form as possible. Fruits and vegetables in the whole form are better than juices. Baked potatoes are healthier than fat-free potato chips. Brown rice has more nutrients and fiber than white rice or crispy rice cereal. Turkey breast is a better choice with less sodium than turkey bacon, turkey hot dogs or turkey luncheon meats. Avoid hamburgers, hot dogs, bologna, steaks, sour cream, cheese, whole milk, eggs, butter, cake, pastry, ice cream, chocolate, fried foods and many fast foods. For more heart healthy eating ideas, visit our collection of heart healthy recipes.

8. Your sodium intake should not be more than 2,400 mg per day. Avoid adding salt to foods, but also avoid foods that already contain salt. Processed foods that contain 480 mg of sodium or more per serving should be limited to one serving per day. Too much sodium in your diet can contribute to high blood pressure. Learn more about making heart-healthy dietary choices with our online sodium quiz.

9. Your risk of heart attack significantly increases if your parents, brothers and sisters have coronary heart disease; had a heart attack; had coronary surgery before age 55 in men or before age 65 in women; high blood pressure; high blood cholesterol; or are obese. If any of these factors holds true for you, discuss your history with your primary care physician as soon as possible.

10. About half of all heart attack victims experience symptoms of a heart attack hours, days or weeks prior to the attack. These symptoms may include:
  • Pressure, fullness or a squeezing pain in the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes
  • Pain extending beyond the chest to the shoulder and arm, back, and even teeth and jaw
  • Increasing episodes of chest pain
  • Prolonged pain in the upper abdomen
  • Shortness of breath
  • Intense sweating
  • An impending sense of doom
  • Unsteadiness or confusion
  • Fainting
People having heart attacks often attribute the symptoms to heartburn, overexertion, or another cause. Or they deny them altogether. Keep in mind, however, that of the people who die from heart attacks, most die within the first hour after the onset of symptoms. If you suspect you or another person may be having a heart attack, get immediate medical treatment.

The same urgent message holds true for stroke. Warning signs include:
  • Sudden numbness, weakness, or paralysis of the face, arm or leg — usually on one side of your body
  • Loss of speech, or trouble talking or understanding speech
  • Sudden blurred, double or decreased vision
  • Dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination
  • Sudden, severe headache with no apparent cause
  • Difficulty swallowing
Some individuals experience a severe headache before other stroke symptoms develop. A stroke can evolve over the course of a day or two, or can occur without warning. If you suspect a stroke, get medical attention fast.

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