Risk Factors of Coronary Heart Disease Overview

There are many risk factors of coronary heart disease. Cholesterol is one of the main culprits. However, other risk factors play an important role as well. In fact, other risk factors can turn a low-risk cholesterol level into a high-risk condition, or these risk factors can decrease the benefits of reducing cholesterol. These other risk factors are so important that doctors take an inventory of them, in addition to cholesterol levels. This inventory helps doctors determine whether diet and lifestyle changes alone are sufficient to treat coronary heart disease or whether drug therapy is also necessary.

Diagnosing Risk Factors in Coronary Heart Disease
Checking blood pressure, and other diagnostic tests, is just
one step in determining whether a patient has coronary heart disease.
High blood pressure is a key risk factor in coronary heart diseease.

A group of researchers that examined data collected for three different studies -- the Framingham Heart Study, the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial, and the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry -- found that exposure to one of several risk factors, such as high cholesterol (240 mg/dL or greater), high blood pressure (140/90 mm Hg or greater), cigarette smoking, diabetes, and/or overweight or obesity, occurred in more than 87 percent of cases of fatal heart attack.

The Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry collected data on 67,888 patients worldwide with coronary heart disease or disease of other blood vessels. Not surprisingly, patients with cholesterol-laden plaques -- the hallmark of atherosclerosis -- had a number of other risk factors. The top risk factors present in those with atherosclerosis included:
  • High blood pressure (82%)
  • High cholesterol (72%)
  • Diabetes (44%)
  • Overweight (40%)
  • Obesity (27%)
  • Tobacco use (14%)
The presence of a second risk factor in someone who already has one raises overall risk, and a third risk factor increases that risk even further. The Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial examined this link between risk factors and the risk of coronary heart disease. Researchers found that two-thirds more deaths from coronary heart disease occurred in the group of men whose blood-cholesterol level was greater than 245 mg/dL and whose diastolic blood pressure was greater than 90 mm Hg in comparison to the group of men with the same blood-cholesterol level but whose diastolic blood pressure was less than 90 mmHg. Of those men with the higher blood pressure, researchers found that those who smoked experienced a death rate twice that of the men who didn't smoke and three times that of the men who neither smoked nor had high blood pressure.

Aside from high blood cholesterol, three of the most-often-cited treatable risk factors that contribute to coronary heart disease are high blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes. Obesity and being overweight also play a role in coronary heart disease. What follows in this article is a discussion of all these risk factors.

Next, learn more about studies that have evaluated the "lifetime risk" of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease.

For more information about coronary heart disease, see:
  • How Cholesterol Works: High levels of cholesterol are a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Find out more about this condition. 
  • Diagnosing Coronary Heart Disease: Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. This article discusses how physicians go about diagnosing heart disease so that you can understand the process.
  • Coronary Heart Disease Treatment: Managing coronary heart disease can encompass a variety of treatments, from medication to surgery. Find out more about treatment options. 
  • Coronary Heart Disease: Coronary heart disease is the result of a complex process. Learn more about the symptoms and causes of this disease.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.