This is reflected, he noted, by the prevalence of teenage and young adult smokers in the United States. Smoking is the number one risk factor for heart disease among young people. While it is better never to start, it also is beneficial to stop at any age. Other habits that increase the risk of heart disease include poor diet and lack of physical activity. Having a history of heart problems in your family does not mean you also will develop them, but it does increase the likelihood.
Some families clearly have a string of cardiovascular disease.
Heart disease also may be more prevalent in certain groups of people, such as those with a particular ethnic background or occupation. Also, acquired heart disease tends to present in males about 10 to 15 years before it presents in women. Women tend to develop heart disease 10 to 15 years post-menopausal, and suffer a slightly more complicated and aggressive course of heart disease than men. The African-American population generally has a higher incidence of diabetes, hypertension and high blood pressure. These risk factors all increase their chances of developing heart disease.