Are you at risk for heart disease?

If you think you or someone you know is at risk for heart disease, read through the following questions and see how many you answer yes to. If you answer yes to five or more of the following questions, you should speak with your primary care physician in order to properly assess you risk of heart disease. If you do not have a primary care physician, you can click here to locate one. To schedule an appointment with a cardiologist at Saint Vincent Heart Center or to have your doctor refer you to a heart doctor at Saint Vincent Heart Center please contact 452-5000.

Cardiac Risk Assessment

Age
Are you a man over 45?
Are you a woman who is either over 55, passed menopause or had her ovaries removed and is not taking estrogen?

Family History 
Do you have a father or brother who has had a heart attack, stroke or bypass surgery before age 55, or a mother or sister who had one before age 65?
 
Smoking
Do you smoke cigarettes, cigars or are you exposed daily to second-hand smoke?
 
Blood Pressure
Is your blood pressure higher than 120/80, or have you been told that your blood pressure is too high?
 
Exercise
Do you get less than a total of 30 minutes of physical activity on most days?
 
Diabetes
Do you have diabetes (a fasting blood sugar of 126 mg/dl or higher) or have been told you have pre-diabetes (a fasting blood sugar of >100 mg/dl)?
 
Lipids (Blood Cholesterol Levels)
Your HDL (High Density Lipo-protein or "good" cholesterol) is less than 50mg/dl in women or 40mg/dl in men?
Your LDL (Low Density Lipo-protein or "bad" cholesterol) is greater than 130?
 
Weight and Obesity 
Does your Body Mass Index (BMI) indicates that you are overweight (score of 25-29) or obese (30 or greater)?
 
Stress
Do you endure high levels of stress from things such as a divorce, death in the family, high-pressure work environment, commuting, etc.?
 
Medical History 
Have you been diagnosed with coronary heart disease or have you already had a heart attack?
Have you been told that you have carotid artery disease, or had a stroke or TIA, or you have a disease of the leg arteries, a high red blood cell count or sickle cell anemia?
 
Excess Alcohol
Do you have more than the occasional alcoholic drink or two, (i.e., more than 2oz. of alcohol per day, such as a glass of wine, one beer or one cocktail)

Results
If you answered “Yes” to 5 or more of the above questions, you should speak with a doctor. Additional indicators are also listed below that if you suffer from, you should speak to your primary care physician. If you do not have a primary care physician, you can find one by clicking here. If you or your primary care physician would like to speak with a cardiologist, please have them call 452-5000.

Other Indicators
You are especially at risk if you have three or more of the following indicators:
High blood sugar (as defined above)
Low HDL (as defined above)
High blood pressure (as defined above)
You triglycerides are 150mg/dl or higher
Your waist measurement or "central obesity" is greater than 35" for women and 40" for men. (A waist-to-hip ratio greater than .08 is a predictor of high triglycerides and low HDL levels.)

Disclaimer: This cardiac risk assessment is based on information found on the risk assessment provided by the web engine About.com and has been reviewed by their Medical Review Board. Saint Vincent Heart Center has not approved or reviewed this risk assessment and encourages patients to speak with their doctor if they think they are at risk for heart disease.