Heart Disease: Know Your Risk << Heart Health and Stroke << womenshealth.gov

Heart Disease: Know Your Risk

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Reading those words may make you feel like you have no control. But many things can affect whether or not you develop heart disease, some of which you can control. That's why it is important to understand your personal risk factors.

Risk factors are conditions, habits, family history, and other facts about yourself that make you more likely to develop certain diseases. The more risk factors you have, the higher your risk of getting certain diseases. Some risk factors such as age or family history can’t be controlled. But many can be controlled by making changes in the way you live. In this section you can learn more about the different kinds of risk factors that you can and can’t control.

Are you at risk for having a heart attack?

Factors such as your age, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure affect your heart health.
Use this web tool to determine your 10-year risk of having a heart attack.

Additional Resources

Publications

Fact Sheet — Heart Disease — This fact sheet on women and heart disease includes information about risk factors, prevention, and treatment of heart disease.

http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/heart-disease.cfm

The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women

Heart Disease in Women — This fact sheet lists the most common signs of heart disease. It also provides women with tips to lower their risk of heart disease and stay healthy.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ByAudience/ForWomen/ucm118528.htm

Heart Disease Risk Factors — Heart disease risk factors are conditions or habits that raise your risk for heart disease and heart attack. This fact sheet discusses how following a healthy lifestyle can reduce some of these risk factors.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/hd/hd_whatare.html

Heart Truth for Women: An Action Plan — Good news! Heart disease is a problem you can do something about. This fact sheet will help you find out your personal risk of heart disease. Then, it will show you how to take steps to improve your heart health and reduce your chances of developing heart disease.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth/material/factsheet_actionplan.pdf

Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors (Copyright © Journal of the American Medical Association) — This fact sheet describes the main risk factors of coronary heart disease. Some factors you can control, and some you cannot, but it is important to do what you can to keep your heart healthy and strong.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/302/21/2388.pdf

Facts About Women and Cardiovascular Diseases (Copyright © American Heart Association) — This publication gives statistical data on the number of women affected by cardiovascular disease. It discusses how some women may not be aware of risks to their cardiovascular health and gives facts about the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2876

Heart Disease in Women: Understand Symptoms and Risk Factors (Copyright © Mayo Foundation) — What can you do to help prevent heart disease? This fact sheet explains the symptoms of heart disease unique to women and recommends ways to keep your heart healthy.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-disease/hb00040

http://www.womensheart.org/PDFs/FactSheet_WHD.pdf

Women's Heart Disease Risk Quiz (Copyright © Women's Heart Foundation) — Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women. Do you think that you are at risk for heart disease? Take this quiz and find out.

http://www.womensheartfoundation.org/content/HeartDisease/heart_disease_risk_quiz.asp...

Women, Heart Disease, and Stroke (Copyright © American Heart Association) — Heart disease is not just a man’s disease. Women are at risk too. This publication discusses risk factors for heart disease and explains the difference between risks you can and can’t control. The factors you can control — like lifestyle changes — can help lower your heart disease risk.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4786

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated: February 1, 2009