Find out if you are at risk of cardiovascular disease. Anyone who wants to know if they are at risk for cardiovascular disease can undergo this test. Experts recommend that people over 35 years of age who have risk factors should undergo the test once a year.
The most important cardiovascular diseases are:
- Myocardial infarction.
- Stroke (brain thrombosis, embolism, or hemorrhage)
These diseases are very serious, they are the leading cause of death, accounting for almost 40 percent of all deaths in Spain.
We call cardiovascular risk the probability that a person has cardiovascular disease. They affect the arteries of the heart and the rest of the body, mainly the brain, kidneys and lower limbs.
Which are the risk factors?
According to the World Health Organization, a risk factor is any trait, characteristic, or exposure of an individual that increases their likelihood of suffering an illness or injury. We can classify the risk factors into two groups:
Modifiable factors: they are those in which we can intervene to avoid them, they can be:
High blood pressure : High blood pressure is a condition characterized by blood pressure readings above 140/90 mmHg and is considered one of the main public health problems in developed countries. Individuals with blood pressure between 130/80 and 139/89 mmHg have twice the risk of developing high blood pressure compared to individuals with lower readings.
Elevated cholesterol : Cholesterol is one of the most important risk factors because elevated levels can lead to hypercholesterolemia. In fact, people with blood cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dl have twice the risk of suffering a heart attack compared to those with levels of 200 mg/dl.
Diabetes : People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, making prevention of this condition crucial. This is because high blood glucose levels can damage blood vessels and accelerate atherosclerosis. Furthermore, diabetes also increases the risk of developing other diseases, such as cerebrovascular diseases.
Overweight and obesity: Obesity plays a role in the development of many diseases. In the case of cardiovascular diseases, if fat accumulates in the abdomen, there will be a greater cardiovascular risk.
Smoking: This is the most significant risk factor, as the incidence of cardiovascular disease in smokers is three times higher than in the general population. The Spanish Heart Foundation points out that the likelihood of developing heart disease is proportional to the number of cigarettes smoked per day and the number of years the person smokes.
Sedentary lifestyle: Lifestyle changes in Western societies have led to an increase in sedentary behavior in the general population, despite the fact that a sedentary lifestyle has been linked to cardiovascular mortality.
Alcohol abuse : Abusing alcohol is highly harmful as it is directly linked to the development of cardiovascular disease. One drink per day is recommended for women and two for men.
Anxiety and stress: Anxiety and stress are risk factors for heart disease. And although there are no definitive studies to confirm this, medical practice shows that the less anxiety or stress a person has, the lower their risk of suffering a cardiovascular event. And vice versa.
Non-modifiable factors: they are those in which we cannot intervene to modify them, they can be:
Age: As a person ages, their heart also ages. For this reason, older people are the primary victims of most heart diseases.
In fact, the incidence of heart failure doubles from 40-45 years, according to the Spanish Heart Foundation.
Sex: Men are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease than women. Experts attribute this to the protective effect of female hormones. In fact, menopause is associated with an increase in the rate of heart disease in women.
Family history : Numerous studies have shown a genetic component in cases of hypertension, familial hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes, all factors related to the development of cardiovascular disease.
