Some of them can be modified, treated or controlled, and some can't. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that he or she will develop heart disease. Also the greater the level of each risk factor, the greater the risk. Increasing age - About four out of five people who die of coronary heart disease are age 65 or older. At older ages, women who have heart attacks are more likely than men are to die from them within a few weeks.
Men have a greater risk of heart attack than women, and they have attacks earlier in life.
Even after menopause, when women's death rate from heart disease increases, it's not as great as men's. African Americans have more severe high blood pressure than whites and a higher risk of heart disease. Heart disease risk is also higher among Mexican Americans, American Indians, native Hawaiians and some Asian Americans. This is partly due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes. Most people with a strong family history of heart disease have one or more other risk factors.