There are many types of heart disease and also many types of risk factors. Cholesterol and high blood pressure are two of the more important risk factors we have control over, and they are common causes to most forms of heart disease. Your family's heart history is also important, as is your weight. Although it is commonly thought that men get heart disease more than women, this concept is changing. Women also experience heart disease differently from men. For example, a heart attack symptom in a man might be crushing chest pain but in a woman, it might be a stiff neck. Knowing what your heart risks are and what you can do to reduce their impact will help you stay in control.
Aside from cholesterol and high blood pressure, the other causes of heart disease depend on what specific type of heart disease you're talking about. For example, mitral valve prolapse occurs when valves of the heart do not close properly. An aneurysm can be caused by a bacterial infection that weakens the artery's walls. Angina is caused when the heart doesn't have enough oxygen to do
its work. Coronary artery disease is often the cause of angina.
While we often think of "hardening of the arteries" as an inevitable part of aging, we now have excellent medications and surgical techniques that help you live longer and avoid debilitating conditions such as heart attack or stroke.
If the veins and arteries in the legs are narrowed, you might have the pain and discomfort associated with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). This condition can really slow you down, but it is treatable. High cholesterol and other factors can lead to narrowing of the arteries in the brain, which may result in a transient ischemic attack (also called a mini-stroke), which is a warning sign of a possible impending stroke.