The coronary arteries are the circulatory system to the heart and supply oxygen
and nutrient rich blood deep into the heart muscle. Coronary heart disease is caused
by a gradual build up of fatty deposits and fibrous tissue on the walls of the coronary
arteries, which can be due to a diet rich in saturated fats and sugars. This causes
the artery to narrow, and makes it harder for the artery to supply your heart muscle
with blood and oxygen. This condition is known as atherosclerosis (a-ther–o–skler-osis)
and the fatty material is known as atheroma (a-ther-oma). Over time, buildup can
cause the artery to become so narrow that it cannot deliver enough blood and oxygen
to your heart. When the blood supply decreases to parts of the heart muscle it can
trigger a type of chest pain called angina, particularly when you’re exerting yourself.
A heart attack occurs when a piece of the fatty atheroma breaks away from the artery
wall and causes a blood clot to form. If this clot then blocks the artery, your
heart muscle will be starved of blood and oxygen.
How the risk score works – an example
A person enters the following information:
- Female
- 42
- BP 135/86
- Non smoker
- Not diabetic
- TC 5.5 mmol
- HDL 1 mmol
How the 'What if' table works
If this person was to make some improvements to her lifestyle e.g., eating a diet
rich in fibre and low in saturated fats, sugars and salts and taking part in regular
moderate activity, then she may see some improvements to the readings on the right.
- Reduce BP 125/82
- Remains a Non smoker
- Reduce TC 5.2 mmol
- Improve HDL 1.4 mmol
If we look at the results for this 42 year old female, she is shown to be 11th in
a queue of 100 females of a similar age waiting to have a cardiovascular event.
She is on the 89th percentile of risk for someone of her age and gender. She is
at high risk relative to other women of her age. Essentially she is in the top 10%
of her age group and gender, most likely to develop coronary heart disease within
the next 10 years.
If she was to positively change her lifestyle through a mixture of health eating
and exercise she could see improvements in her modifiable risk factors i.e. blood
pressure, cholesterol and smoking status. By making small changes to the results
she can see how she has moved from 11th in the queue and high risk to 59th in the
queue at a much lower risk.
It is advisable to speak to a health adviser for information on health eating
and how much exercise is safe for you
South Asian origin means descended from inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent,
which include: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia,
Phillipines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand.
If you don't know the answer to this question, answer 'No'
Adverse family history means CHD, stroke or other major atherosclerotic disease
in a male first degree relative (father or brother) before the age of 55 years or
in a female first degree relative (mother or sister) before the age of 65 years.
If you don't know the answer to this question, answer 'No'
Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) can be ascertained from a resting ECG or by echocardiography.
If you don't know the answer to this question, answer 'No'
- Systolic Blood Pressure: Less than 140 and preferably less than 130
- Diastolic Blood Pressure: Less than 90 and preferably less than 85
- Total Cholesterol: Less than 5
- HDL Cholesterol: Greater than 1 ideally greater than 1.2 for females
- Diabetes: No
- Smoking status: Non smoker
Clicking on 'Reset Values' will copy all your original values over into the boxes
below. You can now modify the individual health parameter to reflect possible reductions
if you were to positively change your lifestyle. You are advised to make modest
changes to the values. Once you change any values just click on 'Calculate' to update
the report.