Heart Attacks in your family history Could put you at higher risk of a heart attack.

According to some reports, a family history of heart attacks is a reliable indicator of the likelihood of a man dying from cardiovascular disease. According to the Rancho Bernardo Study, which followed 4014 persons between the ages of 40 and 79 for a period of nine years, men under the age of sixty who had a family history of heart attack were at a risk that was five times higher than average. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not modifiable risk variables, such as blood pressure, plasma cholesterol, obesity, and cigarette smoking, have a different impact on the risk of cardiovascular disease in those who have a family history of heart attack compared to those who do not have another family history of heart attack. Cigarette smoking was a more accurate predictor of cardiovascular disease in individuals of both sexes who had a family history of heart attack (the relative risk of smokers versus nonsmokers was 2.5 for men and 4.0 for women) than it was in individuals who did not have such a family history (the relative risk of smokers versus nonsmokers was 1.1 for men and 1.7 for women). On the other hand, smokers were responsible for the majority of the elevated risk of cardiovascular mortality that was observed in males who had a family history of heart attack (the relative risk associated with a positive family history was 1.2 in nonsmokers and 3.3 in smokers with a history of heart attack). It is estimated that 68 percent of the additional deaths that occurred in men who had a family history of heart attack were purely attributable to the interplay of family history with smoking habit, and as a result, they might have been avoided. It would indicate that modifiable behaviors have a significant impact on the risk of cardiovascular disease that is related with a predisposition that appears to be inherited.

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