Risk Factors for CVD
Chances of acquiring CHD or a strokes are increased by several inter-related risk factors. These include:

• high blood pressure
• obesity
• blood cholesterol and other dietary factors
• smoking
• genetic inheritance

Age and Gender Make a Difference:

• Risk of CVD is higher for men than women in the UK.
• For a 55 yr old man, the risk of a heart attack before 60 is 1 in 50, 2%, whereas for a woman aged 55, the risk is 1 in 100, 1% before she's 60
• In both sexes the prevalence of CVD increases with age, probably due to the effects of ageing on arteries; less elastic and more easily damaged