Risk Factors for Heart failure

List of Risk Factors for Heart failure

The list of risk factors mentioned for Heart failure in various sources includes:

• Smoking
• High cholesterol levels
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Overweight
• Obesity
• Coronary heart disease
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• History of heart problems
• Family history of heart problems

Risk factors discussion:

As stated, the heart loses some of its blood-pumping ability as a natural consequence of aging. However, a number of other factors can lead to a potentially life-threatening loss of pumping activity.

As a symptom of underlying heart disease, heart failure is closely associated with the major risk factors for coronary heart disease: smoking, high cholesterol levels, hypertension (persistent high blood pressure), diabetes and abnormal blood sugar levels, and obesity. A person can change or eliminate those risk factors and thus lower their risk of developing or aggravating their heart disease and heart failure.

Among prominent risk factors, hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes are particularly important. Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases the risk of heart failure by 200 percent, compared with those who do not have hypertension. Moreover, the degree of risk appears directly related to the severity of the high blood pressure.

Persons with diabetes have about a two- to eightfold greater risk of heart failure than those without diabetes. Women with diabetes have a greater risk of heart failure than men with diabetes. Part of the risk comes from diabetes' association with other heart failure risk factors, such as high blood pressure, obesity, and high cholesterol levels. However, the disease process in diabetes also damages the heart muscle. (Source: excerpt from NHLBI, Heart Failure: NHLBI)

Risks factors for Heart failure: medical news summaries:

The following medical news items are relevant to risk factors for Heart failure:

• Depression frequently associated with heart failure
• Diabetes and risk reduction
• Heart failure and thiamine deficiency link
• Heart failure survival increased with surgery
• Soy diet indicated in heart disease
• More news »

About risk factors:

Risk factors for Heart failure are factors that do not seem to be a direct cause of the disease, but seem to be associated in some way. Having a risk factor for Heart failure makes the chances of getting a condition higher but does not always lead to Heart failure. Also, the absence of any risk factors or having a protective factor does not necessarily guard you against getting Heart failure. For general information and a list of risk factors, see the risk center.

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