(Dr. Arthur Agatston, Everyday Health) Yes. Family history is an often underestimated and under-reported risk factor for heart disease and heart attack…
The more distant a relative is and the older that person is when he or she had a heart attack, the less concerned you need to be. The more closely related you are to family members who have had heart attacks and the younger they were when the event occurred, the greater your risk is…
Furthermore, if one of your siblings has heart disease or has had a heart attack, that puts you at an even higher risk than if one of your parents has heart-related issues, because the sibling, besides having similar genes, has usually grown up in an environment similar to yours. Experts suggest that if you have a brother or sister with cardiovascular disease, your own risk is increased by as much as 100 percent…
[But] having a family history of heart disease is not a guarantee of a heart attack. And even if you're diagnosed with heart disease, improving your diet, getting regular exercise, and taking medications as necessary can go a long way toward reducing plaque buildup and improving your risk profile. The earlier that high-risk individuals are evaluated, the easier it is to prevent a heart attack.
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Please do not give advice. We can best help each other by telling what works for us, not what we think someone else should do.