health

CAD is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and
women. According to the American Heart Association, nearly fifteen million
adults have some form of coronary artery disease. CAD usually develops
in adults over thirty, and is common in adults over sixty. Coronary artery
disease accounts for 650,000 deaths in the United States each year—25 percent
of deaths among adults over the age of thirty-five.

Risk factors for coronary artery disease include:

• Age. The risk of coronary artery disease rises for men after age
  forty-five and for women after age fifty-five.
  
• Sex. Men are at greater risk of CAD throughout life; however, the
  risk for women rises after menopause.
  
• Family history of CAD. A person’s risk of CAD is higher if their
  father or brother was diagnosed with CAD before age fifty-five,
  or a mother or sister diagnosed before age sixty-five.
  
• High blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels.
  
• Race. African Americans, particularly African American women,
  and Native Americans have higher rates of CAD than either Caucasians
  or Hispanics.
• Lifestyle. People who smoke and drink heavily are at increased risk
  of CAD. Women who smoke a pack of cigarettes per day are six
  times as likely to have a heart attack as nonsmoking women; male
  smokers are three times as likely to develop CAD as nonsmokers.
  
• Obesity.
  
• Diabetes.
  
• Sleep apnea.
  
• Physical inactivity.
  
• High levels of emotional stress.
  
• Personality. People who are aggressive, impatient, and highly competitive
  are more likely to develop CAD than those who are relatively
  calm and relaxed.