Heart Disease Risk Assessment

What’s Your Risk?

There are a number of factors that can lead to heart disease. To decide which risk factors to focus on, first you should compute YOUR personal cardiac risk. Here is a quick quiz to find out your risk of a heart attack. If you don’t know some of the answers, check with your health care provider.

• Do you smoke?
• Is your blood pressure 140/90 mmHg or higher OR have you been told by your doctor that your blood pressure is too high?
• Has your doctor told you that your total cholesterol level is 200 mg/dL or higher, OR your HDL (good cholesterol) is less than 40 mg/dL?
• Has your father or brother had a heart attack before age 55, OR has your mother or sister had one before age 65?
• Do you have diabetes OR a fasting blood sugar of 126, OR do you need medicine to control your blood sugar?
• Are you over 55 years old?
• Do you have a body mass index (BMI) score of 25 or more?
• Do you get less than a total of 30 minutes of physical activity on most days?
• Has a doctor told you that you have angina (chest pains), OR have you had a heart attack?

If you answered ”yes” to any of these questions, you’re at an increased risk of having a heart attack. Contact your doctor or healthcare professional to find out how you can lower your risk. If you need a primary care physician, call the Holy Redeemer Information and Referral service at 1-800-818-4747.