Question

Who is more likely to get cardiac problems and how can one prevent them?

Answer

The family history is important, as anyone looking for life insurance knows, i.e. what did mother, father, brothers, sisters etc suffer from, and what did they die of? Since the prognosis of people with coronary artery disease is related to its severity and the severity of heart dysfunction, there are certain tests that predict future outcome. These include exercise testing; perhaps speak to your physician about these. Can anything be done to reduce risk factors? Smoking should stop, blood pressure controlled rigidly, diabetes, even if 'mild', needs control to maintain normal blood sugars, and diet probably needs modification. The latter is demonstrated by the fact that coronary artery disease is less common in communities which do not eat a western diet. Weight needs attention, physical exercise is important, and alcohol in moderation is advised. Finally clotting factors need to be checked, and certain drugs may be indicated, such as aspirin, lipid lowering drugs and beta-blockers.

Links

• Tackling coronary heart disease risk factors