Your Heart Over Time

With heart disease the leading cause of death in the United States, it’s never too early to take steps to keep your heart healthy. While aging itself is a risk factor for heart disease, there are lots of other factors that can contribute. Here’s what you should know, no matter how old you are.

Before age 30, you should be tracking your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and should know your family history of early coronary artery disease. If any of these warning signs point toward an increased risk, talk to your doctor about ways to compensate.

Your lifestyle affects your risk as well. Smoking, drinking alcohol and using illicit drugs can increase your risk of heart trouble.

In you 30s and 40s, your doctor might recommend a baseline electrocardiogram, which records the electrical activity in your heart and can show signs of trouble. Problems with your heart’s valves also may show up at this time in your life.

More and more people are diagnosed with diabetes in their 40s and 50s, or even earlier. “We’re very aggressive at treating people with diabetes, because we know the incidence of heart problems is high in this population,” says Armando Yepes, M.D., an interventional cardiologist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Irving.

Up to age 55, women are at lower risk for heart disease than men. By age 60 to 65, they catch up. And it’s especially important for women and their doctors to watch for signs of heart disease, since women’s symptoms often vary from men’s.

Atrial fibrillation, or an irregular heartbeat, is more common as we age. “When we’re younger, the prevalence is very low, but studies show that after age 70, up to 16 percent of people have atrial fibrillation,” Dr. Yepes says.

For more ideas on ways to keep your heart healthy.