Are You at Risk For Cardiovascular Disease?

If you’re not aware of the factors that could make you vulnerable to heart disease, it 
could seem like heart issues appear suddenly and without warning. It’s important to 
realize that knowing what you can do to protect yourself by increasing your awareness 
of the signs associated with heart problems could save your life or the lives of other 
around you. Since this topic is relatively nuanced, it’ll be good to look at each of the 
factors as they affect people across demographics. The following will contain a few of 
the factors that put you at risk for cardiovascular disease. 

Things You Can’t Change

There are a number of factors that are encoded in genetics that there is little you can do 
about. If your family has a history of heart problems or defects, then it is possible for you 
to experience some issues with at that as you get older. Age is another factor that is 
relatively inevitable, because as your age increases, so do your chances of heart 
issues. Men are generally at the highest risk when you have age, family history in the 
mix, but women who are post-menopausal are also considered to be a part of the high 
risk group. 

What You Can Change

Even though there are many things beyond your control, there are still quite a few things 
that you can do to safeguard yourself against heart issues. This can be done by 
choosing to avoid specific habits, and to engage in healthy practices. Smoking is 
considered one of the most dangerous in this group because of its vein and artery-
restricting effect on your vascular system. This condition can lead to the easy formation 
of blood clots and increase blood pressure to dangerous levels. When your heart has to 
work that hard, it can easily become tired and fail. 

Being Overweight

When you are overweight, this is another factor that can put a hefty strain on your 
system. Large amount of body fat can deposit around sensitive areas making it more 
difficult for your heart to beat without massive amounts of stress. It also makes it far 
more difficult to breathe. When breathing becomes more shallow, it can put your body 
into fight or flight mode, putting even more strain on an already struggling heart. The 
best thing to do is avoid any of the bad choices that will contribute to an already 
burdened system 



