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Heart Disease Prevention & Risk Factors

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University Health Heart & Vascular Institute 
210-64-HEART (3278)

Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program 
210-644-1230

Heart Disease Prevention & Risk Factors

Many risk factors contribute to your chance of developing heart disease. While some of these cannot be prevented, such as aging and family history, some are manageable.

Eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising can lower your risk.

Risk Factors for Heart Disease

  • Being a man or a postmenopausal woman
  • Diabetes
  • Family history of heart disease
  • High alcohol intake
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Lack of exercise
  • Obesity
  • Older age
  • Poor oral health
  • Sleep apnea
  • Smoking
  • Unhealthy diet high in salt and saturated fat
  • Unmanaged stress

Here you will find heart doctors who work together to treat conditions that lead to heart problems. You won’t have to travel around the region to find the specialized or advanced care you need — we’re all in one place.

Preventing Heart Disease

You can help prevent heart disease by making healthy lifestyle choices. Your doctor may recommend:

  • Quitting smoking
  • Eating a heart-healthy diet low in salt and saturated fat
  • Maintaining a healthy weight
  • Adding 30 minutes of physical activity to your day

Keep high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes in check with medications and lifestyle adjustments.

Are you at risk for heart disease?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

Our free online risk assessment only takes a few minutes. It will help you better understand your risk of developing heart disease and how you may be able to lower it.

Doctors
  1. Aaron Abarbanell, MD
    Aaron Abarbanell, MD
    Thoracic Surgery
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  2. Anatole Trakhtenbroit, MD
    Anatole Trakhtenbroit, MD
    Cardiology Echocardiography Nuclear Cardiology
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  3. Subrata Talukdar, MD
    Cardiology
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Heart Health Assessment

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Our free online risk assessment only takes a few minutes. It will help you better understand your risk of developing heart disease and how you may be able to lower it.