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Coronary Artery Disease CausesA person's risk of developing coronary artery disease is due to a combination of lifestyle factors, heredity, and age. Having two or more of the following risk factors increases a person's coronary artery disease and heart disease risk: Coronary artery disease risk factors- Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a build up of fatty deposits (plaques) on the inner walls of the blood vessels.
Additional heart disease risk factors- Metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that increase a person's risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. - Central obesity (a large waistline)
- Unhealthy cholesterol levels: high LDL ("bad") cholesterol, low HDL ("good") cholesterol, and high triglycerides
- High blood pressure
- Elevated fasting blood sugar (glucose)
- Diabetes
- Physical inactivity
- Smoking
- Family history of heart disease
- Father or a brother diagnosed with heart disease before 55 years of age.
- Mother or a sister diagnosed with heart disease before 65 years of age.
- Age and gender
- Male of age 45 and older
- Female of age 55 and older (or after menopause)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of Americans with the following heart disease risk factors are: People of age 20 and older (1999–2002) | Hypertension or taking hypertension medications | 30.2% | | High blood cholesterol | 17.3% | | Physician–diagnosed diabetes | 6.5% | | Obesity | 30.5% |
People of age 18 and older (2003)| Current cigarette smokers | 21.6% | | Physically inactive | 37.6% |
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