• Some risk factors for heart disease you cannot control; others you can. Risk factors for heart disease include:

 

• High cholesterol levels, also known as hypercholesterolemia (see Cholesterol and Heart Disease)
• High blood pressure, also known as hypertension (see Effects of High Blood Pressure)
• Diabetes (see Diabetes and Heart Disease)
• Smoking (see Smoking and Heart Disease)
• Being overweight (see Obesity and Heart Disease; click BMI Calculator to learn your ideal weight)
• Being physically inactive (see Heart Disease and Exercise)
• Age
• Family history of early heart disease.

 

• Chest pain (angina) is the most common symptom of coronary heart disease.
   

Facts About Heart Disease Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

• There is no one single test used to make a heart disease diagnosis. Your doctor will ask about your medical and family history, your risk factors, and perform a physical exam and several tests. These procedures are used to decide if you have coronary heart disease, the extent and severity of the disease, and to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms.
   
• The goals of treatment for heart disease are to:

 

• Relieve symptoms
• Slow or stop atherosclerosis by controlling or reducing the risk factors
• Lower the risk for blood clots, which can cause a heart attack
• Widen or bypass clogged arteries
• Reduce cardiac events.

 

• Your chance of developing CAD increases with the number of risk factors you have. The steps for effective heart disease prevention include:

 

• Knowing your heart disease risk factors
• Monitoring your health
• Knowing your family history for early heart disease
• Making lifestyle changes
• Possibly taking medication (see Heart Medications).

 

•  Important lifestyle changes for preventing heart disease or controlling it include:

 

• Get moving (see Heart Disease and Exercise)
• Maintain a healthy weight (see Weight and Heart Disease)
• Eat a well-balanced, heart-healthy diet (see Diet and Heart Disease)
• Control your blood pressure and cholesterol (see Lowering Blood Pressure or Lowering Cholesterol)
• Prevent or manage diabetes (see Diabetes Treatment)
• Don't smoke (see Smoking and Heart Disease).