Health Factors
Family History of Heart Disease. You are at higher risk of developing heart disease if your close relatives have had a heart attack at an early age. Statistically, your risk is increased if your father had a heart attack before age 56 or your mother before age 60. Similarly, you are at a higher risk if your grandparents had a heart attack at a young age.

Blood Lipid Profile. Triglycerides are the form in which fat is stored in the body's tissues: three fatty acid molecules hooked to a glycerol backbone. Women with Elevated triglycerides, or triglycerides elevated in the blood to a level of 190 mg/dl or greater, run a higher risk of developing coronary artery disease.

Elevated total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.Cholesterol is a yellowish, waxy substance manufactured in our body primarily by the liver and, to a lesser extent, by the intestines. We also ingest cholesterol when we eat dairy products or red meat. How effectively cholesterol is used depends upon how efficiently it is transported throughout the body and how well the body can store or dispose of any excess. Transportation in the body is potentially a problem because the fatty cholesterol isn't soluble in blood, which is mostly water. To solve this problem, the body packages the cholesterol with a protein that allows the fat to be mixed with the blood. This process takes place in the liver, where several types of cholesterol-protein mixtures are produced.

The major type of cholesterol-protein manufactured is the low density lipoprotein, or LDL. LDL is the body's main carrier of cholesterol. When levels of LDL are elevated they remain in the body streams and injure the endothelium (the inner lining of the blood vessel wall), thereby initiating plaque formation. Thus, LDL is considered to be the "bad" type of cholesterol. Women with a total blood cholesterol above 240 mg/dl and a LDL level above 160 mg/dl are thought to be at high risk of heart disease. Ideally, the total cholesterol should be below 180 mg/dl and the LDL below 130 mg/dl for the greatest degree of protection.

Decreased HDL cholesterol.The liver also makes another type of cholesterol-protein called the high density lipoprotein or HDL. The HDL is considered to be the "good" type of cholesterol. This is because HDL picks up and carries the excess cholesterol back to the liver, where it is secreted into the bile. The bile empties the excess cholesterol into the intestinal tract, where it is excreted from our bodies through bowel movements. When her HDL is less than 35 mg/dl, a woman is considered to be at high risk of coronary artery disease. The HDL should ideally be about 55 mg/dl.

Elevated LDL to HDL ratio.The ratio between the LDL and HDL is also an important indicator of heart disease risk. Ideally, your LDL to HDL ratio should be no higher than 4:1. For example, if your HDL is 30 and your LDL is 150, then your ratio is 5:1, which puts you in the high risk category.

Hypertension. High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for developing coronary artery disease. Sixty million Americans have elevated blood pressure readings, and nearly half of these people are women. Blood pressure is considered to be elevated when readings are above 140/90. The upper number is called the systolic pressure, which is the pressure that occurs when the heart contracts and pushes blood through the arterial circulation. The bottom number is called the diastolic blood pressure. This is the pressure in the arteries when the heart relaxes between beats. Not only does hypertension increase the likelihood of heart attacks, but it also increases the risk of strokes and kidney disease.