9 Hidden Risk Factors for Heart Disease

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Maternal Heart Health and Steroids

8. Your mother had a bad heart.
It used to be that heart disease on your father’s side of the family was considered a risk factor. But according to a new study in Sweden, women whose mothers had heart disease have a 43 percent greater risk for developing the same problem. Having a father with heart disease raises your risk only 17 percent.

Why it’s a risk factor: This one may have more to do with nurture than nature. “Behavioral risk factors are often acquired in childhood,” says lead study author Kristina Sundquist, M.D., assistant professor at the Karolinska Institute’s Center for Family Medicine in Stockholm. “Children typically spend more time with their mothers than with their fathers. Mothers with heart disease are more likely to smoke, have a poor diet, and/or be inactive, which can influence the behavior in offspring and increase their risk.”
           
When assessing your risk, make sure you know who in your family had heart disease, and when, Hayes, of the Mayo Clinic, says. Consider yourself at risk if either of your parents had premature coronary artery disease—before the age of 60 for your mother and before the age of 50 for your father. And bear in mind that genetics don’t determine the whole picture.
           
“You can’t choose your parents, but you can choose your habits,” Sundquist says.

9. You’re taking steroids.
Potent anti-inflammatories, or steroids, commonly are prescribed for lung conditions, such as asthma, as well as for autoimmune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis. One British study found that people using steroids or intravenous glucocorticoids had a 2-1/2 times greater risk for cardiovascular disease. In another study, researchers in the Netherlands found that the risk of atrial fibrillation (when parts of the heart quiver instead of beat, allowing blood to clot) was six times higher in those taking high-dose corticosteroids.

Why it’s a risk factor: Steroids increase blood pressure, lipids, and blood glucose, thus increasing the risk of heart disease. Since steroids change the potassium balance in the heart muscle’s cells, they may be the root cause of atrial fibrillation. Tell your doctor about all the medications you take as well as any side effects.

Put Your Heart to the Test
If there were a mammogram for heart disease, every woman would get one. But because there is no such thing—yet—we have to live with a confusing patchwork of individual tests to measure cardiac health. Your age, health status, family history, and other risk factors will help you and your doctor determine which tests are right for you.

No symptoms?
If you’re 40 to 55 years old and have no symptoms of heart disease (such as an unfamiliar feeling in your chest or stomach, unusual shortness of breath, unusual fatigue, back pain or lower chest discomfort), have your blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides checked annually, says Antonio M. Gotto Jr., M.D., dean of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Also make sure your weight and body mass index are within normal ranges. Click here <<http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi>> to calculate your ideal body mass index (BMI).

Know your numbers
Total blood cholesterol: Aim for less than 200 mg/dL.
LDL (“bad”) cholesterol: Aim for less than 100 mg/dL.
HDL (“good”) cholesterol: Aim for 50 to 60 mg/dL.
Triglycerides: Aim for less than 150 mg/dL.

Blood pressure: Aim for lower than 120⁄80; normal readings range from 90⁄60 to 130⁄85.