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About Your Cardiovascular Risk

About Your Cardiovascular Risk

If you have high blood pressure it is important for your health to know your cardiovascular risk. What is your cardiovascular risk? It is your risk of developing heart disease, something healthcare professionals call cardiovascular disease. And it is something we do have some control over.

It Is Always Better to Know

If learning about your cardiovascular risk sounds like something you would rather not know, think about this: if you had a tire on your car that was at risk of blowing out, would you rather not know? If you are like most people, you would want to know so you could fix it and drive safely. It is the same when it comes to knowing your cardiovascular risk—knowing about it can help you reduce it.

Understanding Risk Factors and Cardiovascular Disease

To understand cardiovascular risk, it helps to understand 2 terms:

  1. Risk factor: any condition or disease that increases your risk of cardiovascular disease is known as a "risk factor"2
  2. Cardiovascular disease: this refers to disorders of the heart or blood vessels. High blood pressure can damage blood vessels. That is why it is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Major types of cardiovascular disease include
    • Coronary artery disease, sometimes described as coronary heart disease. This occurs when the arteries that supply the heart with blood become hardened and narrowed.17 Coronary artery disease can cause the following health problems:
      • Angina, which is chest discomfort caused by the heart not getting enough blood2,17
      • Heart attack (also known as myocardial infarction). A heart attack happens when a blood clot forms in an artery where a waxy material called plaque builds up. As the plaque builds up, the artery narrows. This cuts off most or all of the blood supply, which can permanently damage the heart muscle2,17
    • Stroke: a stroke is similar to a heart attack, except it happens in the brain instead of the heart. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that supplies the brain with blood either bursts or is blocked by a blood clot2
    • Congestive heart failure: this is when the heart muscle cannot pump enough blood to the rest of the body. This can cause shortness of breath, tiredness, and leg swelling2

Healthcare professionals consider some conditions, such as high blood pressure—also known as hypertension—to be both a risk factor and a form of cardiovascular disease.2

The Major Risk Factors for Getting Cardiovascular Disease

High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, cigarette smoking, and inactivity all increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.3 No matter which of these risk factors you have, the risk of cardiovascular disease becomes even greater if you also have untreated high blood pressure.3

For People With High Blood Pressure, 1 + 1 = 3

Risk factors do not simply add up to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. In some cases, they add on to each other. For example, having untreated high blood pressure and any other risk factor can dramatically increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.3

Remember, you can reduce your risk. But you cannot do it unless you really know your personal cardiovascular risk profile. So take 2 minutes now and take the Heart Care Test.

More

  • Learn your cardiovascular risk today—take the Heart Care Test
  • ALTACE® (ramipril) capsules have been proven to lower the risk of heart attack or stroke in people aged 55 or older with cardiovascular risk factors1—learn more about ALTACE®
Knowledge Gives You Choices

What You Know Will Give You More Power

Fact: People really like it when they get information that helps them avoid problems. In 1 minute you can discover your cardiovascular risk, so you can begin to help reduce it. Take the test.


The quotes presented on this Web site are representative and may not reflect actual patient experience.

Important Safety Information

Do not take ALTACE® during pregnancy, as death or injury to your unborn child may result. Do not take ALTACE® if you have experienced serious side effects related to previous ACE inhibitors.

Common side effects include persistent dry cough, dizziness, and light-headedness due to low blood pressure. Prescription ALTACE® is not for everyone. ALTACE® may cause swelling of the mouth, tongue, or throat, which could cause extremely serious risk and requires immediate medical care. There have been rare reports of low blood sugar in patients taking ALTACE® with medicine for diabetes. Please contact your healthcare professional if you have symptoms of low blood sugar such as sweating or shakiness.

Do NOT take ALTACE® if you are allergic to ALTACE® or other ACE inhibitors.

If you experience side effects that you think may be associated with ALTACE®, talk to your healthcare professional. DO NOT discontinue taking prescribed medication without letting your healthcare professional know.

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