Coronary heart disease risk factors are conditions or habits that raise your risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and heart attack. These risk factors also increase the chance that existing CHD will worsen.
                
CHD, also called coronary artery disease, is a condition in which a waxy substance called plaque (plak) builds up on the inner walls of the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle.
                
Plaque narrows the arteries and reduces blood flow to your heart muscle. Reduced blood flow can cause chest pain, especially when you're active. Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture (break open). This causes a blood clot to form on the surface of the plaque.
                
If the clot becomes large enough, it can block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the portion of heart muscle fed by the artery. Blocked blood flow to the heart muscle causes a heart attack.
                
Overview
                
There are many known CHD risk factors. You can control some risk factors, but not others. Risk factors you can control include:
                
High blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels (a type of fat found in the blood)
                
High blood pressure
                
Diabetes and prediabetes
                
Overweight and obesity
                
Smoking
                
Lack of physical activity
                
Unhealthy diet
                
Stress
                
The risk factors you can't control are age, gender, and family history of CHD.
                
Many people have at least one CHD risk factor. Your risk of CHD and heart attack increases with the number of risk factors you have and their severity. Also, some risk factors put you at greater risk of CHD and heart attack than others. Examples of these risk factors include smoking and diabetes.
                
Many risk factors for coronary heart disease start during childhood. This is even more common now because many children are overweight and dont get enough physical activity.
                
Researchers continue to study and learn more about CHD risk factors.
                
Outlook
                
Following a healthy lifestyle can help you and your children prevent or control many CHD risk factors.
                
Because many lifestyle habits begin during childhood, parents and families should encourage their children to make heart healthy choices. For example, you and your children can lower your risk of CHD if you maintain a healthy weight, follow a healthy diet, do physical activity regularly, and don't smoke.
                
If you already have CHD, lifestyle changes can help you control your risk factors. This may prevent CHD from worsening. Even if you're in your seventies or eighties, a healthy lifestyle can lower your risk of dying from CHD.
                
If lifestyle changes aren't enough, your doctor may recommend other treatments to help control your risk factors.
                
Your doctor can help you find out whether you have CHD risk factors. He or she also can help you create a plan for lowering your risk of CHD, heart attack, and other heart problems.
                
If you have children, talk with their doctors about their heart health and whether they have CHD risk factors. If they do, ask your doctor to help create a treatment plan to reduce or control these risk factors.