Keep an emergency telephone list handy. If you can get to the hospital faster than using an ambulance, have someone drive you. Don't drive yourself. Diabetes may telescope your risk to an earlier age so make sure to tell your doctor so that you will have the proper tests and be followed properly. Women die of heart attacks twice as often as men at older ages, so you women, please understand your blood tests and risk factors.
Smokers have a two-fold higher risk of heart disease.
If they have a heart attack, they are more likely to die than non-smokers. It is the biggest factor for peripheral vascular disease and in fact, this condition is almost exclusive in smokers. Diet and lowering of saturated fat are important factors in lowering cholesterol levels. Medication may also be prescribed to control level of cholesterol in the blood as well as the ratio of LDL and HDL in the blood. People with high blood pressure should work with their physicians to control it.