risk factors for atherosclerosis.

Someone on another post asked what causes atherosclerosis, so here is the official NHS line.

Exactly how arteries become clogged is still unclear, although the following things increase your risk of atherosclerosis:

smoking

a high-fat diet

lack of exercise

being overweight or obese

having either type 1 or type 2 diabetes

having high blood pressure (hypertension)

having high cholesterol

nhs.uk/conditions/atheroscl...

Most research that is done on heart disease has agreed that these are risk factors, but they all act together. So your total risk will be calculated using a Framingham risk score or Qrisk.

The interesting this is that despite my supposedly high cholesterol I score 3% on a Framingham risk score and 6% on a Q risk calcuation - not high enough to merit being prescribed a statin.

However if you have FH, or possible FH, official NICE guidance is that these risk calculators should not be used and you should be prescribed a statin - in fact you probably need to be prescribed a high strenth statin. Because you are automatically at high risk.

[sandybrown]

This may help the discussion:

Atherosclerosis; describes how the build-up of plaque over time causes atherosclerosis which can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke, or even death.

Shows how in atherosclerosis, plaque builds up inside the arteries which can cause a heart attack.

Explains that the main treatment for atherosclerosis is lifestyle changes, such as following a healthy diet, quitting smoking, and being physically active.

Heart attack and stroke, can happen to any boy at any time with out any warning!

What health checks are available? Is it worth doing health checks it identify any health related issues?

[Andyman]

The problem is we don't know what is going on inside.

We can think it will happen to everyone else but me (like I did) or spend all day on the internet discovering all sorts of wonderful cures and potions and myths and legend and facts and figures. But still we have no idea what is going on inside.

They should invent a potion that clears out our arteries. A couple of shots a year and away we go again getting a life instead of worrying.

[sandybrown in reply to Andyman]

There is Canadian heart drops!

[Andyman in reply to sandybrown]

Really you believe that works.

[Hidden]

Hello Bala

No, we can't always predict our risk of heart attack and stroke, but the main risk factors are well known and you can have tests for high blood pressure and diabetes fairly easily.

The rogue genetic factors are pretty rare. Of course it's incredibly tragic when a young person dies suddenly of heart disease, but it's also very uncommon. For most people the best thing is keep yourself in good health as far as possible, don't smoke, have a good diet and plenty of exercise and watch out for high blood pressure and diabetes.

[ckra1000]

@idontbelieveit ... I have avoided all those risk factors all of my life. I started angina at 54 and had a 95% blockage in one of my heart arteries. We still don't understand enough about Atherosclerosis. There is something else we are missing. I'm living proof that avoiding all those risk factors doesn't stop Atherosclerosis.

[sandybrown]

Hello,

Agreed, we do not understand!

Even when cardiologists aggressively manage their patients’ cholesterol and blood pressure levels, millions of Americans continue to suffer heart attacks and strokes. The reason is that many cardiologists fail to address the key underlying cause of coronary artery disease—that of endothelial dysfunction.

Endothelial dysfunction is the major cause of atherosclerosis—the blockage of arteries that increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and congestive heart failure. Fortunately, it is never too late to start counteracting this circulatory breakdown, which is often a part of the aging process.

A wealth of research now points to several nutritional agents such as cocoa polyphenols, pomegranate, and bioavailable superoxide dismutase (SOD) that have been shown to dramatically improve arterial blood flow, helping promote youthful endothelial function and protect against the processes known to damage aging arteries.