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Certain factors, called coronary risk factors, increase your risk of heart disease. These factors add to the buildup of plaque (atherosclerosis) that narrows arteries in your body, including arteries to your heart. As you start into your recovery, you need to understand these risk factors so that you can stop or reduce them. Making changes in your lifestyle to decrease these risk factors is a vital part of recovery. Coronary risk factors include:

• High blood pressure. Blood pressure is how hard your heart must pump your blood and the amount of resistance to blood flow it meets in your arteries. Over time, high blood pressure – 130/85 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher – can damage arteries that feed your heart by speeding up atherosclerosis. High blood pressure can be an inherited problem. The risk of high blood pressure increases as you age. But the main culprit for most Americans is eating a diet too high in salt and being overweight.

• High blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is a large part of the deposits that can narrow arteries. A high level of the wrong kind of cholesterol in your blood increases your risk of a heart attack. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) is more likely to narrow arteries. A diet high in saturated fats and cholesterol can cause the LDL cholesterol to be high. Another type of blood fat that is harmful in high amounts is triglycerides. However, a high level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) helps the body clean up excess cholesterol and lowers your risk of heart attack. You can increase the good cholesterol, HDL, through regular exercise and avoiding tobacco.

• Cigarette smoke. Smoking and being around secondhand smoke is bad for your heart and body in many ways. It damages the inside walls of arteries allowing deposits of cholesterol to collect and slow the flow of blood. The nicotine in cigarettes also causes the arteries to tighten and can raise your blood pressure. Finally, cigarette smoke also increases the risk of deadly blood clots forming and causing a heart attack.

• Lack of physical activity. An inactive lifestyle contributes to high blood cholesterol levels and obesity. On the other hand, people who exercise regularly have better cardiovascular fitness, which decreases overall risk of a heart attack. Exercise is also a good way to lower high blood pressure.

• Obesity. Obesity involves having a high amount of body fat. Obesity raises the risk of heart disease because it is associated with high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and diabetes.

• Diabetes. Diabetes is a condition where the body is not able to produce or respond to insulin in the right way. Insulin is a hormone that is secreted by your pancreas. It helps your body use the sugar from foods as fuel. Diabetes can occur in childhood, but it appears more often in middle age and among overweight people. Diabetes can greatly increase the risk of a heart attack by speeding up atherosclerosis and causing blood cholesterol levels to go up.

• Stress. You may respond to stress in ways that can increase your risk of a heart attack. If you are under stress, you may overeat or smoke from nervous tension. Too much stress, as well as anger, can also raise your blood pressure.

• Alcohol. If limited to 1 glass per day, alcohol can help raise HDL levels – the "good" cholesterol – and protect against heart attack. However, drinking more that 1 glass for women and 2 glasses for men per day can raise your blood pressure and triglyceride levels, and increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

• Family history of heart attack. If your siblings, parents or grandparents have had a heart attack before they were 65, you may be at risk, too. Your family may have a genetic condition that raises bad blood cholesterol levels. High blood pressure also can run in families. In addition, families may contribute to coronary artery disease by practicing or promoting poor health habits such as smoking or eating high-fat diets. Your family members interested in risk screening for coronary artery disease should contact the Cardiac Prevention Program at 753-3510.

You can reduce or stop many of these risk factors to lessen your chances of having a first or second heart attack. However, you can not change some risk factors, including heredity, race (heart attack risk is higher in blacks) and sex. Men are generally more likely to have a heart attack than women. However, after menopause, the risk for women increases to that of a man.

Prevention

By reducing cardiac risk factors, you may be able to prevent a first or second heart attack.

• STOP smoking or using any form of tobacco!
• • Control your blood pressure by taking your medication as prescribed.
  • Change your diet to include more vegetables, vegetable oils, fruits and fewer animal fats.
  • To help with cholesterol control, your doctor may prescribe a medication of the statins group such as Atorvastatin or Simvastatin.
  • Lose weight. Talk with your doctor and dietitian about the best approach to help you lose weight.
  • Keep your diabetes under control.

• Exercise daily or several times a week by walking and doing specific exercises to improve your cardiovascular fitness. Participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program is a great way to begin an exercise program.

WHEN YOU WANT TO QUIT SMOKING

A Information Guide

Congratulations on your decision to quit smoking! Quitting smoking is the most important thing that you can do for your health and the health of those around you. Smoking is not only an addiction, but a habit as well. Your body craves the nicotine in the cigarette, and you have learned to smoke in situations and for many reasons. Quitting takes practice, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t quit after your first attempt. Keep practicing, and eventually you WILL break the habit.

Quitting smoking will produce some withdrawal symptoms such as:

• Cough: may be heavy for one-two weeks. Coughing will help clean out the built up tar left there by years of smoking.
  
  
• Nervousness: You may feel "fidgety" and restless.

• Short Temper: Very common feeling when quitting.
  

Tips for helping with withdrawal symptoms: