HealthInfo Canterbury

Reducing my risk of a heart attack

You're more likely to get angina or have a heart attack if you:

• have existing heart problems
• have a close family member (mother, father sibling) who has had heart disease at an early age
• have diabetes
• are a smoker or ex-smoker
• have high blood cholesterol or high blood pressure
• are an unhealthy weight
• aren't physically active
• are of Māori, Pasifika or Indian descent.

Heart risk assessments

Your GP or nurse can help you do a Heart risk assessment or you can do it yourself. A heart risk assessment gives an estimate of how likely you are to have a heart attack or stroke within the next five years. It takes into account your health and risk factors.

The age you should start having heart risk assessments depends on your sex, ethnicity and other risk factors. See Heart risk assessment for details.

Reducing your risk

Maintain a healthy lifestyle by:

• being smokefree
• moving your body more
• eating and drinking for a healthy heart
• managing your stress
• reaching and maintaining a healthy weight
• managing your blood pressure
• managing your cholesterol
• reducing the amount of alcohol you drink
• controlling your diabetes.

You may need medicines to help manage your heart health. Even so, it is still very important to manage your lifestyle to reduce your risk. Read the Heart Foundation's booklet on Lowering your risk of heart attack and stroke to learn what lifestyle changes you can make to keep your heart healthy.

There are several tests for heart disease. Talk to your GP about what tests you need – they'll refer you to a heart specialist if they think you need further tests.

  HealthInfo recommends the following pages

• Heart Foundation
  • Lowering your risk of a heart attack and stroke

    This booklet has information about what puts you at risk of having heart disease, and how to do something about it.

  • A guide to healthy heart eating booklet

    Advice on how to improve your heart health by changing what you eat.

  • Managing your risk

    More information about steps you can take to reduce your risk of angina and a heart attack

Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Endorsed by Cardiology GP liaison, Canterbury DHB, Page created August 2016. Last updated November 2018.

Sources

Page reference: 262630

Review key: HIHAT-110391