Risk Factors
What are the risk factors of cardiovascular disease?
Do you know the risk factors of cardiovascular disease? They are high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation and cholesterol. This page explains what these conditions are and how you can get checked.
Contents
Blood pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) affects more than one in four adults in England. High blood pressure is not typically something you can feel. However, you are more likely to develop coronary heart disease or have a stroke if you have high blood pressure. In England, high blood pressure is the number one risk factor for cardiovascular disease related death and disability.
To find out if you have high blood pressure, you can have it measured for free at a NHS Health check. You may also be able to have your blood pressure check at your GP practice or local pharmacy - just contact your GP to find out how.
Understanding blood pressure
Atrial fibrillation (AF)
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an abnormality in the rhythm of the heart. It involves the upper chambers of the heart (atria) beating irregularly.
AF is the most common form problem with heartbeat rates (arrhythmia), affecting four out of every 100 people over 65. Some people may not feel any symptoms, while others feel palpitations, shortness of breath or chest pain.
AF can increase the risk of stroke by five times if untreated. The irregular heart rhythm can cause the blood to pool and clot in the heart chambers. If the clot is carried to the small blood vessels in the brain and blocks the blood flow, it can cause a stroke.
What is Atrial fibrillation?
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in your blood. Cholesterol can come from the food we eat, however most of our cholesterol is produced naturally in the liver. Everyone needs some cholesterol to stay healthy, because every cell in our body uses it.
Having too much cholesterol, or high cholesterol, can clog up your arteries and increase your risk of heart and circulatory diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Globally a third of heart disease is attributable to high cholesterol.
To have your cholesterol tested, attend a free NHS Health check. if you are aged 40 to 74 with no pre-existing conditions.