What’s YOUR risk of a heart attack or stroke?

Finding out is the vital first step to living longer

MORE than 180,000 Britons a year have a heart attack – that’s one person every three minutes. To add to this, more than 100,000 suffer a stroke.

Almost 200,000 people a year will die from these two conditions. It is especially tragic given that, according to recent figures, about 80 per cent of these deaths in the under-75s could be prevented.

Today, scientists know more than ever before about the causes of heart disease, many of which will not come as a surprise. Put simply, the build-up of fat in the heart’s arteries – most commonly caused by poor diets and lack of exercise – restricts blood supply to and from the heart, with catastrophic consequences.

So what can you do? The first step, and most crucial for prevention, is to know your risks.

In fact, it is just as likely to save your life as pioneering treatment: research has shown the more we are aware of our individual chances of developing heart disease, the more likely we are to survive.

Granted, some of these factors may be beyond your control – genetics or gender for instance – but that is all the more reason to address those that are controllable. Thankfully, every adult in Britain has easy access to this vital information.

Since 2009, all NHS patients aged 40 to 74 are invited to a full, free Heart Health Check carried out by their GP, every five years.

Heart attack risk is calculated using information such as age, weight and body fat, cholesterol – a type of fat in the blood that can lead to blocked arteries – blood pressure, family history and whether you’re a smoker.

If GPs discover a worrying result, lifestyle advice to reduce the risk can be given, and even a low-dose statin may be prescribed to reduce cholesterol in the blood. This has been shown to prevent heart attacks in those who are at raised risk.

Experts implore patients to take up these free Health Checks, especially as we can feel otherwise well while suffering ‘hidden’ heart disease.

Consultant cardiologist Dr Laura Corr, from the Harley Street Clinic, says: ‘It’s no good saying “I’ve never had a problem before” or “I feel great”. There are many things you can’t see or feel that have to be monitored, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.’

So, just what are the heart health risk factors that are bubbling under the surface? And, more importantly, what can be done about them? THE OLDER YOU ARE THE GREATER THE RISK AS YOU get older, your risk of heart problems increases. The effect of your diet and lifestyle accumulates over time, leading to a build-up of cholesterol and plaque in the arteries. Four out of five people who die of heart disease are over 65.

But the risk of a heart attack increases steadily in men after the age of 45, with the average age for a first heart attack in men 66.

For women, the risk increases from the age of 55, with their first heart attack being on average at 70. We can’t do anything about ageing, but it is important to start making changes as early as possible – by mid-life at the latest. WE KNOW MEN ARE AT GREATER RISK... … BUT only while they are younger. One in seven men and one in 12 women die from coronary heart disease each year in the UK, with men more likely to develop it at an earlier age than women.

This could be because, before the menopause, the hormone oestrogen helps protect different parts of the body, including the heart and blood vessels, helping to lower the risk of heart disease.

During and after the menopause, as the body starts to produce less oestrogen than it used to, the heart and blood vessels are less protected, increasing the risk of heart disease or stroke.

Heart disease kills 28,000 women each year in the UK – more than twice as many as breast cancer.

This may be partly due to a lack of awareness of the symptoms of heart disease in women.

Unlike men, who feel a dull pain in the chest or in the jaw, women describe feeling fatigued, sleepless, and a sensation of indigestion in the weeks and months before a heart attack. EXCESS WEIGHT SENDS YOUR RISK SOARING UNSURPRISINGLY, being overweight or obese not only puts your heart under extra strain but can lead to other cardiovascular risk factors such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

A 2013 study found a single-unit rise in BMI raised the risk of heart failure by 17 per cent.

Those with a BMI of between 25 and 30 are considered to be overweight, and those greater than 30 are obese, as calculated by dividing a person’s weight by their height.

An estimated one million people alive in Britain today have survived a heart attack.

GET WISE TO YOUR CHOLESTEROL

CHOLESTEROL is a type of waxy fat, produced by the body, mostly in the liver. It is essential for cellular function, and is carried around the body in ‘ packages’ known as lipoproteins, which are a combination of cholesterol, other fats and proteins.

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) carry cholesterol from the liver to the body, while high-density lipoproteins ( HDL) actually do the reverse, and remove LDL from the blood, taking it back to the liver.

It’s your ratio of LDL to HDL rather than overall cholesterol level that matters.

An unhealthy l i festyle, and genetics, can mean we produce too much LDL and not enough HDL. High l evels of LDL in the blood contribute to build-up of fatty, hard plaques that can black the insides of arteries.

The only way to know your HDL and LDL levels for sure is to get tested. It’s a quick, simple blood test that can done by your GP. You don’t even need to ‘fast’ before having it, as was once thought necessary.

It’s also known that a Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil and other natural fats, can actually improve the ratio of LDL to HDL.

THAT CIGARETTE JUST SHORTENED YOUR LIFE

AN ESTIMATED 20,000 people die in the UK every year from heart problems linked to smoking. Each cigarette is said to shorten life by between seven and 11 minutes.

Cigarettes stimulate the formation of fatty plaques that narrow t he arteries and reduce blood flow. Smoking also reduces the level of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol in the blood, and increases total cholesterol.

Nicotine constricts blood vessels, speeds the heart rate and makes the heart work harder.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE STRAINS THE ARTERIES

PEOPLE with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease and stroke, and twice as likely to die from either. About 62,000 people die unnecessarily in the UK each year after failing to control their blood pressure below the high threshold of 140/90, which puts huge strain on the arteries.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is also believed to raise the risk of dementia. The most common causes of high blood pressure – when there is too much blood pumped through a narrow artery – i s obesity and poor diet, though genetics, smoking and stress are also common culprits.

YOUR FAMILY HISTORY MATTERS

IF YOUR father or brother was diagnosed with heart disease under the age of 55, or your mother or sister had heart problems before they were 65, your risk of a heart attack or stroke increases significantly.

High blood pressure or high cholesterol can be inherited, as can lifestyle habits such as smoking or inactivity. However, a change of lifestyle could reduce your risk by as much as 50 per cent.

DIABETES RAISES THE RISK BY 50 PER CENT

THOSE with diabetes – both type 2, and the rarer type 1 – cannot effectively regulate sugar in the blood, and are 48 per cent more likely to suffer heart attacks than the rest of the population, a c c o r di ng t o dat a from t he National Diabetes Audit.

Too much sugar in the blood can contribute to inflammation within blood vessel walls, hardening of arteries and circulatory problems, which raise the risk of a heart attack.