Medical experts have listed out some of the risk factors associated with heart attack which have some role to play in contributing a heart attack. Not all factors can be controlled but there are some which can be controlled and manipulated. Here are some of the factors which can be controlled to reduce the risk of having a potential heart attack.
Uncontrolled diabetes: A diabetic person is always at a risk of having a heart attack because higher sugar blood levels cause atherosclerosis (formation of plaques on the blood vessel wall). So one should try to keep blood sugar levels under control by maintaining healthy diet and doing regular exercises.
Obesity: A person who is obese is always at greater risk of having a heart attack. The reason being simple. Heart will have to pump more blood and do more work if body is high in fat content. So if at an instance the load becomes too much, heart attack may precipitate. So by adjusting the body weight, one can reduce the risk of having a heart attack. This may be achieved by having a controlled diet and doing regular workouts.
Smoking: Smokers are at very high risk of having a heart attack, usually 2 to 3 times more than normal people. People who smoke have risk of getting blood clots more easily and so this increases the risk of getting a heart attack. Smoking also reduces HDL levels which is good for body. Moreover even blood vessels are found to get harder and loose their elasticity which is also another factor contributing to get a heart attack.
Stress factors: Person with stress is actually more prone to get a heart attack. The direct relation to stress and heart attack is not clear yet but yes there are some hormonal influences and other indirect ways of influencing factors causing heart attack. For instance a person with stress may indulge in consuming alcohol or smoking which may also increase risk of getting a heart attack. So one should always consider reducing stress in one’s life to refrain from heart attacks and this can be done by practicing yoga or meditation.
High blood pressure: A person suffering from hypertension has greater risk of having a heart attack because high blood pressure increases load on heart. Such patients should regularly monitor the blood pressure and keep it under control by whatever means. One can go for medication to control blood pressure and simultaneously maintain healthy diet to keep cholesterol levels under control because even cholesterol level is one of the major risk factor involved in heart attack.
