Surprising Heart Attack Risks

By Lisa Collier Cool Mar 29, 2013 1.7k Recommend

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Guys: Your hair, or lack o it, can re!eal hi""en heart attack risks, accor"ing to startling ne# research $resente" at the %&erican Heart %ssociation's scienti ic

sessions( )n act, bal"ness or a rece"ing hairline can signal greater heart attack "anger than ha!ing high cholesterol or high bloo" $ressure, the researchers re$orte"( *he stu"y oun" that $eo$le +$articularly &en, #ith three o the ollo#ing !isible signs o aging #ere at -. $ercent higher risk or a heart attack an" 39 $ercent higher risk or heart "isease, co&$are" to $eo$le the sa&e age #ithout these #arning signs: /ece"ing hair at the te&$les % bal" s$ot at the to$ or back o the hea" 0arlobe creases Yello#ish atty "e$osits on the eyeli" +kno#n as 1anthelas&ata, 2anish researchers analy3e" health "ata ro& nearly 11,000 &en an" #o&en ages 40 an" ol"er( 2uring 3- years o ollo#5u$, 3,041 $artici$ants "e!elo$e" heart "isease an" 1,.06 su ere" a heart attack( Both in"i!i"ually an" co&bine", the our signs $re"icte" heart attack an" heart "isease "anger in"e$en"ently ro& other risk actors, such as s&oking, obesity, or high cholesterol( Related( . 7arning 8igns o Heart %ttacks 9 the our signs, atty "e$osits aroun" the eyes #ere the strongest $re"ictor an" the "anger rose #ith each a""itional characteristic( 0arlier stu"ies ha!e also oun" a link bet#een a "iagonal earlobe crease an" $la:ue buil"u$ in the arteries( ;*he !isible signs o aging re lect $hysiologic or biological age, not chronological age, an" are in"e$en"ent o chronological age,< sai" %nne *yb=aerg5Hansen, M(2(, the stu"y's senior author an" $ro essor o clinical bioche&istry at the >ni!ersity o Co$enhagen in 2en&ark, in a ne#s release( *o in" out &ore about sur$rising heart "isease re" lags, ) talke" to %&y 2oneen, %/?@, &e"ical "irector o the Heart %ttack A 8troke @re!ention Center in 8$okane, 7ashington( )n a recent $resentation to healthcare $ro!i"ers, she

highlighte" these little kno#n car"io!ascular risk actors or &en:

)u" Disease
@eo$le #ith $erio"ontal +gu&, "isease are nearly t#ice as likely to ha!e heart "isease than those #ith healthy gu&s( *hat's because the sa&e bacteria that cause gu& "isease can also s$ark in la&&ation insi"e the bo"y, "a&aging bloo" !essels( *he %&erican Heart %ssociation has i"enti ie" gu& "isease as an in"e$en"ent risk actor or heart "isease in a 2012 scienti ic state&ent( 9ne in three a"ults o!er 30 ha!e gu& "isease an" &illions o the& "on't kno# it( %sk your "entist to e!aluate your oral health, a"!ises 2oneen( Related( *o$ 10 Health /isks or Men

Snoring
Bre:uent lou" snoring can tru&$et obstructi!e slee$ a$nea +98%,, a "angerous "isor"er that li ts heart attack an" stroke risk i untreate", cautions 2oneen( 98% +bouts o interru$te" breathing "uring slee$, o ten goes un"iagnose" because $eo$le aren't a#are o the sy&$to&s, #hich inclu"e #aking at night or no a$$arent reason an" une1$laine" "ayti&e "ro#siness( ) you it this $ro ile, ask your healthcare $ro!i"er to or"er a slee$ stu"y(

Being Single
)t's a bit o a &ystery, but bachelors are &uch &ore likely to ha!e a heart attack Can" &uch &ore likely to "ie as a resultCthan &arrie" &en( % stu"y ro& Binlan" that &ine" "ata on &ore than 1-,000 $eo$le #ho ha" heart attacks bet#een 1993 an" 2002 oun" that bachelors #ere -6 $ercent to DD $ercent &ore likely to ha!e a heart attackCan" #ere D0 $ercent to 1D6 $ercent &ore likely to "ie as a resultCthan &arrie" &en( *he researchers coul"n't say #hy single guys +an" gals, are" so $oorly, but suggeste" that &arrie" cou$les &ay lea" healthier li!es, be better o inancially than singles, an" ha!e &ore health5 $ro&oting social su$$ort( 7e""ing bells, anyoneE

Secondhand S"oke

@assi!e e1$osure to tobacco u&es is &ore "angerous to the heart than high cholesterol, "iabetes, or high bloo" $ressure, a ne# stu"y oun"( ?on5s&okers #ith the greatest e1$osure to secon"han" s&oke #ere 90 $ercent &ore likely to ha!e heart "isease than the general $o$ulation( *he stu"y is the irst to sho# a clear link bet#een the a&ount o $assi!e s&oke e1$osure an" early signs o heart "isease, "e&onstrating that being aroun" s&okers is &ore ha3ar"ous than #as $re!iously belie!e"(

&igraine Headaches
)n a stu"y that tracke" 20,064 &en or nearly 1D years, researchers oun" that &ale &igraine su erers ha" a 42 $ercent higher risk or heart attack( % ne# stu"y also linke" &igraines #ith aura +!isual sy&$to&s, such as seeing lashing lights be ore the hea"ache kicks in, to increase" risk or heart attacks, strokes, an" bloo" clots in #o&en( )n the ne# stu"y, #hich inclu"e" nearly 26,000 #o&en, only high bloo" $ressure #as a &ore $o#er ul $re"ictor o car"io!ascular "anger( Ho#e!er, it's not yet kno#n i treating &igraines re"uces heart "isease risk, 2oneen re$orts(

*rectile Dys+unction ,*DGuys, "o you kno# that se1ual $roble&s can &ean you that you ha!e a broken heartCliterallyE 8e!eral stu"ies sho# that 02 can be a stronger $re"ictor o heart attack risk than your a&ily history, s&oking, or high cholesterol( )n act, says 2oneen, so&e healthcare $ro!i"ers no# consi"er 02, #hich a ects about 30 &illion %&erican &en, to be a ;lea"ing in"icator< o heart "isease in &en( Guys in their 40s #ith 02 ha!e nearly 50 times greater risk or "e!elo$ing clogge" arteries that can lea" to a heart attack than "o &en the sa&e age #ithout 02, accor"ing to a Mayo Clinic stu"y(