Uncanny Risk Factors for Heart Disease

Doctors are also humans after all. They might, in some cases, miss the subtle signs that indicate that you’re headed down the road to heart diseases. Even if they miss the signs, make sure that you don’t.

It is a known fact that smoking and an increase in a high fat diet could lead to a lot of problems for your heart at a later stage; but very few people suspect the fact that their mood swings and faulty sleep patterns could also have a role to play here.  These seemingly unrelated factors might actually have a lot to do when it comes to showing you that heart trouble is just a step away.

According to Nieca Goldberg, the author of The Women’s Healthy Heart Program, most women do not equate their heart with their reproductive organs. They miss the link because they’re unaware of how important a role estrogen has to play in cardiac health.

Even if your pregnancy was decades back, it could still affect your heart health. The damage of all the factors collected over a lifetime end up having cumulative effect on your body.

You sleep too much or too little.

If a person sleeps for less than 5 or fewer hours during the night, it would put them at an increase for coronary diseases. Even those who slept for over 9 hours were seen to be at an increase of risk when it comes to heart diseases.

Too much or too little sleep will increase the levels of blood pressure. Over a period of time, this would add up to the wear and tear of the body.

You suffer from a gum disease.

People with coronary artery disease are said to be at a greater risk of periodontal disease. Dental disease, in fact, has turned out to be a greater risk factor for cardiac problems than even smoking in some cases. The reasoning behind this link is that when there is an inflammation of the gum diseases, it will allow for bacteria to enter the blood vessels of the mouth and these might travel into the coronary arteries.

You’ve grappled with depression.

This is the least-known of the cardiac risk factors. Postmenopausal women who suffer from symptoms of depression are likely to develop or die of some heart disease.

Depression is also said to affect the body’s chances of surviving a heart disease if the person gets affected eventually. Depression affects heart health because it is known to be associated with elevated blood pressure levels, abnormal heart rhythms and faster clotting of the blood.

You’ve always had irregular periods.

If your menstrual history has always consisted of you having irregular and unpredictable cycles, it might be an indicator of you falling prey to heart diseases at a later stage in your life. Around 5 to 10 % of women fall prey to PCOD (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and this is known to increase the risk of heart diseases. Women suffering from abnormal periods are said to be producing lower levels of estrogen; and thus, their coronary vessels lose their elasticity.

You’ve been diagnose with an autoimmune disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis and/or lupus, or such autoimmune diseases, would mean that you’re at a greater risk for heart disease. Women suffering from lupus are known to be at a greater risk for heart diseases; and this might mean that they experience higher levels of artery-clogging plaque.

You’ve had a high-risk pregnancy.

If you developed eclampsia or preeclampsia when you were pregnant, it would put you at a risk for coronary heart diseases at a later stage. Gestational diabetes is also known to make things worse when it comes to your heart’s health. Insulin resistance might turn out to be the culprit here. Insulin resistance is a known risk factor when it comes to high blood pressure and thus, heart issues.