Heart Attacks?

Question

My girlfriends father passed away from a heart attack a few years ago. Then her mother just had two attacks. Does that mean she is likely to have one too?

Answer 1

Krista - This question generates a lot of confusion, as you can see. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the US accounting for over a quarter (>25%) of all deaths. Because it is so common, just having parents with heart disease does not necessarily mean a person is at an increased risk for the same.

When doctors say that a "family history" of heart disease is a risk factor, they are talking about a family history of premature (or early) heart disease. This is defined as a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child) who was diagnosed with or died of heart disease before the age of 65 for female relatives, or before the age of 55 in male relatives.

Women with a family history of early heart disease are about 3 times more likely to have a heart attack and 5 times more likely to die of heart disease compared to women without a family history.

If your girlfriend's father was over 55 when he was diagnosed with heart problems and her mother is over 65, she is not considered to be high risk based on family history. (She might still be at high risk for heart disease, though, if she smokes or has other risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes.)

Answer 2

This Razwell person is really irritating. The anti-coronary club (also known as the Diet and Coronary Heart Disease Study Project) was initiated in 1957!!! But if you want to drag up old studies, I'll go toe-to-toe with you.

The fact of the matter is that "a significantly lower incidence of coronary heart disease was observed in the experimental group consuming the study diet (a diet relatively rich in polyunsaturated fats)compared to the control group who received no dietary instruction or supervision."

Furthermore, "in men 40-49 years old, there was one new coronary event in the active experimental group and four in the control group." In other words, for 40-49 year old men, the rate of heart attacks was 196 events per 100,000 person-years compared to 642 events per 100,000 person-years. The risk was cut to a third on the special diet.

"In the 50-59 year old group, there were seven new coronary events in the active experimental group and eight in the control group." That yields a rate of heart attacks of 379 per 100,000 person-years compared to 1,331 per 100,000 person-years. The risk was cut to almost a quarter on the special diet!

I could lie and say that studies show Razwell has the IQ (and integrity) of a peanut, but that wouldn't make it true! (Although, I'm pretty sure it is...)

Answer 3

There is a familial risk that can pass down through the family.

However, there are many things that can make heart attacks more likely.

She should protect herself by taking a diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables, polysaturates ( advocado, nuts, ioly fish) and take regular exercise. take only moderate alcohol and of course, don't smoke.

Answer 4

With or w/o family history a person can get this if uncontrolling to optimal level of fat/cholesterols and blood pressure, or smoking in long term.

Answer 5

It certainly means she is at increased risk do to her family history. She needs to make sure her doctor knows of this, and they should be proactive in performing screening tests which may recognize heart disease at an earlier stage.

Answer 6

yes. they re´probably eating too much and wrong food and don¨t exercise. cos a woman can¨t have heart attack until she is not menopausal. she can have heart attack in young age only if she eats bad food , is fat and doesn¨t move

Answer 7

well its depends on many factors enviroment, genetic, age. Dont be afraid. Just consult with your doc.