Page 3 - South Asia BioBank Sample Health Report

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Cardiovascular disease (also called heart disease) is a group of conditions that affect your heart or blood vessels. These
include blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and vascular dementia.

Heart disease includes conditions that narrow or block blood vessels (coronary heart disease). This can lead to angina
(chest pain), heart attack, and some strokes. Heart disease also covers conditions that affect your heart's muscle, valves or
cause abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).

WHAT INCREASES MY RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR HEART DISEASE?

A risk factor is something that increases the chance of getting a condition. The more you have, the higher your
chance of developing heart disease. Your risk of heart disease can be estimated based on the level and number
of risk factors you have.
There are some risk factors you cannot change for example age, gender, family history, and ethnic background.
However, there are steps you can take to change other risk factors, to reduce your risk.

NON MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS (RISK FACTORS YOU CANNOT CHANGE)

Age, the older you are, the more likely you are to get cardiovascular disease
Gender, men are more likely to get heart disease earlier than women
Family history of heart disease
Ethnic background, South Asians are more likely to develop coronary heart disease that Europeans.

MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS (RISK FACTORS YOU CAN CHANGE)

High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Smoking
Diabetes
Being overweight or obese
Not doing enough exercise
Drinking too much alcohol
Not eating enough fruit and vegetable
Stress