9 Hidden Risk Factors for Heart Disease

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Autoimmune Conditions, Fatigue, and High-Risk Pregnancy

5. You’ve been diagnosed with certain autoimmune conditions.
Having lupus or rheumatoid arthritis—both autoimmune diseases—means you’re at greater risk for heart disease. Women with lupus have five times more artery-clogging plaque than those without the disease, one study found. “The most common cause of death in women with lupus is cardiovascular disease,” Goldberg says.

Why it’s a risk factor: The biological mechanisms and causes of these diseases still are not clear, but they may be related to inflammation, says Erica Jones, M.D., associate professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. If you have been diagnosed with either of these disorders, pay close attention to your numbers. Besides knowing your blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides, you need to know your level of C-reactive protein <<part of February update>>, which the liver produces in response to inflammation.

6. You feel tired and sluggish.
You could have anemia, and new evidence suggests this condition may sap more than just your energy. Anemia, which affects 3.4 million Americans (mostly women), occurs when red blood cells don’t have enough hemoglobin to carry oxygen efficiently from the lungs to other parts of the body.

Why it’s a risk factor: Lower hemoglobin levels force the heart to work harder, which means it wears out sooner. “Anemia can be a key risk factor, especially as women start getting close to menopause and their periods become irregular and they’re living with lower hemoglobin levels,” Mieres says. Anemia also worsens the prognosis in those who already have heart disease. The Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation study, completed in 2006, tracked 963 women over four years and found that anemic women with heart disease were twice as likely to die as nonanemic women.

Find out your hemoglobin status: Get a complete blood count test. If you’re anemic, ask your doctor about iron supplements, keeping in mind that a woman’s need for iron drops during menopause.

7. You’ve had a high-risk pregnancy.
If you developed preeclampsia or eclampsia (seizures or a coma) during pregnancy, your risk of coronary heart disease is doubled. Gestational diabetes also gives women a higher risk for heart disease later in life.

Why it’s a risk factor: Experts suspect the common denominator may be insulin resistance, which occurs when the body no longer uses insulin efficiently. Insulin resistance is a known risk factor for high blood pressure and is a major contributing factor to gestational diabetes.
           
If you’ve ever had these complications of pregnancy, be sure to have regular physicals. And keep tabs on your waist: Excess fat around the waist is linked to elevated blood sugar levels, lower levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and higher levels of triglycerides.       

“Measure your waist just above your belly button and your hips at their widest points,” Goldberg says. “Divide your waist measurement by the hip one. A healthy waist-to-hip ratio for women is less than 0.8."