Te whakawhāiti i taku tūraru mamae ā-poho Preventing angina and heart attacks
A lot of factors make you more likely to have angina or a heart attack. They also make you more likely to have other health problems such as stroke and dementia. But there are things you can do to reduce these risk factors.
Have a heart risk assessment
Getting a heart risk assessment gives an estimate of how likely you are to have a heart attack or stroke within the next 5 years. It uses several known risk factors such as your:
- age
- ethnicity
- family history
- other health conditions.
You can do this yourself or with your healthcare provider.
The age you should start having heart risk assessments depends on your sex, ethnicity and other risk factors.
Make healthy choices
You have an important role to play in your heart health. While you cannot change some risk factors, you can change others.
Over time, what you eat and drink and how you live can improve your blood pressure and cholesterol. It can also decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke.
High blood pressure (hypertension) (internal link)
High cholesterol (hyperlipidaemia) (internal link)
The more healthy changes you make, the better it is for your heart health. Changes you can make include:
- if you smoke, stop smoking
- keep physically active
- eat well
- limit salt intake
- limit or avoid alcohol
- lose weight, if you need to
- manage stress.
Keep other conditions under control
Get checked for other conditions that affect your heart and keep them under control. These include:
Take your medications
If you take medication to reduce your risk, it is important to keep taking them for life.
If you have side effects or are concerned about your medications, talk to your healthcare provider before stopping them.