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Angina is chest pain that occurs because your heart muscle isn’t getting enough blood. You may be at risk for angina if you have coronary artery disease (CAD). Having CAD means your coronary arteries—the ones that supply blood to your heart—have become narrow. This narrowing does not allow enough blood to get through and angina develops.
Narrow coronary arteries usually result from deposits of plaque—a waxy substance that builds up inside the artery. Plaque limits blood flow and makes your artery stiff. When heart disease causes your heart’s smallest coronary arteries to narrow, it's called coronary microvascular disease.
There are 10 risk factors for heart disease due to CAD and coronary microvascular disease. These are also the risk factors for angina.
1. High Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that can flow through your blood. Your body makes some cholesterol. You also get cholesterol from foods you eat. If your cholesterol is too high, your risk for angina goes up because it contributes to plaque forming inside your arteries.
2. High Blood Pressure
Another name for high blood pressure is hypertension. It occurs when the force of blood flowing through your arteries is too high. This makes it harder for your heart to pump blood to your body. When your heart needs to work harder, it requires more oxygen, which can increase your risk for angina.
3. Smoking
The chemicals in tobacco smoke damage the insides of your arteries. This damage causes the lining of your arteries to become swollen and narrow. Smoking can make heart disease worse and contributes to plaque development in coronary arteries.
4. Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that develops when there's too much sugar—or glucose—in your blood. Over time, high blood sugar damages blood vessels. People with diabetes get heart disease earlier. They're also at higher risk for heart disease and angina.
5. Obesity
If you're very overweight, you're more likely to develop high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Carrying around extra weight also makes your heart work harder. These factors increase your risk for angina. To lower this risk, you should eat fewer calories than you burn.
6. Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that often occur together. These conditions include belly (abdominal) obesity, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. These are all risk factors for heart disease and angina.
7. Inactivity
Not getting enough exercise increases your risk for angina. Regular exercise decreases the odds you will become obese or develop high blood pressure. It also makes your heart stronger and more efficient. You can change this risk factor by getting about 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week.
8. Unhealthy Eating
A diet high in fats from red meat and added sugar increases your risk of obesity, heart disease, and angina. To manage this risk factor, get calories from heart-healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, poultry, fish, and nuts.
9. Older Age
It takes time for the risk factors of heart disease and angina to damage your coronary arteries. As a result, aging increases your risk of developing these conditions. Being older than 45 is a risk factor for men. Being older than 55 is a risk factor for women.
10. Family History
CAD and many risk factors that lead to heart disease can run in families. Genes passed down from one generation to the next can make you more likely to develop high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Your risk for heart disease and angina goes up if your father or brother had a heart attack before age 55. Your risk also goes up if your mother or sister had a heart attack before 65.
It's important to remember many of these factors act together to increase your risk for heart disease and angina. An unhealthy diet can lead to high cholesterol. Inactivity can lead to obesity. Smoking can lead to high blood pressure. The more risk factors you have, the higher your risk for angina. The good news is many of these risk factors are controllable. Talk with your doctor if you are struggling with making a change.
