In general, the higher your LDL level and the more risk factors you have (other
than LDL), the greater your chances of developing heart disease or having a heart
attack. Some people are at high risk for a heart attack because they already have
heart disease. Other people are at high risk for developing heart disease because
they have diabetes (which is a strong risk factor) or a combination of risk factors
for heart disease. Follow these steps to find out your risk for developing heart
disease.
Step 1: Check the table below to see how many of the listed risk factors
you have; these are the risk factors that affect your LDL goal.
Major Risk Factors That Affect Your LDL Goal
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- High blood pressure (140/90 mmHg or higher or on blood pressure medication)
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- Low HDL cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dL)*
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- Family history of early heart disease (heart disease in father or brother before
age 55; heart disease in mother or sister before age 65)
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- Age (men 45 years or older; women 55 years or older)
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* If your HDL cholesterol is 60 mg/dL or higher, subtract 1
from your total count.
Even though obesity and physical inactivity are not counted in this list, they are
conditions that need to be corrected.
Step 2: How many major risk factors do you have? If you have 2 or more risk
factors in the table above, use the attached risk scoring tables (which include
your cholesterol levels) to find your risk score. Risk score refers to the chance
of having a heart attack in the next 10 years, given as a percentage. My risk score
is ________%.
Step 3: Use your medical history, number of risk factors, and risk score
to find your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack in the table
below.
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If You Have |
You Are in Category |
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Heart disease, diabetes, or risk score more than 20%*
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I. High Risk |
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2 or more risk factors and risk score 10-20% |
II. Next Highest Risk |
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2 or more risk factors and risk score less than 10% |
III. Moderate Risk |
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0 or 1 risk factor |
IV. Low-to-Moderate Risk |
* Means that more than 20 of 100 people in this category will have a heart attack
within 10 years.
My risk category is ______________________.
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