However, it can cause symptoms in a sudden severe way, as in a heart attack. Some of these risk factors can be changed and some obviously cannot. Some risk factors you can change on your own or with the help of your physician. Some risk factors have an effect on each other. For instance, losing weight can help control blood sugar in diabetes, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol.
Quitting smoking can decrease blood pressure.
Age, Sex, Family history You cannot control your age, family history, or sex. However, because heart disease is more common as we age, it is even more important to control the other risk factors. Men are at increased risk for coronary artery disease. When women reach menopause and the protective effect of the estrogen hormone is lost, the risk becomes equalized. Estrogen replacement may reduce a woman's risk of heart disease, but the slightly increased risk of some cancers has to be weighed against its advantages.