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Maryland Heart Center

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

What is Coronary Artery Disease? | Causes and Risk Factors | Signs and Symptoms | Diagnosing CAD | Treatments-Medical & Surgical Options

 

Causes and Risk Factors

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Tobacco Use - Effects on Arteries

This short video shows the difference between a smoker's and non-smoker's artery.
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According to the American Heart Association, the lifetime risk of having coronary heart disease after age 40 is 49 percent for men and 32 percent for women.

As women get older, the risk increases almost to that of men. (See also Heart disease and women.)

There are many factors that increase the risk for CAD, some of which can be controlled.

CAD risk factors include the following:

Since CAD is related to certain aspects of lifestyle, many risk factors such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity can be controlled. Although medical treatments for heart disease have advanced greatly, controlling risk factors remains the key to preventing illness and death from CAD.


This page was last updated on: November 27, 2007.

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