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The Cardiac Risk Factors -
General Information
Traditional risk factors are even more important than we thought
Conventional wisdom holds that the classical risk
factors for coronary artery disease only account for 50% of heart attacks -
hence the search for "newer and better" risk factors to measure. Now two new
studies suggest otherwise: almost all patients who die from coronary artery
disease turn out to have at least one of the Big 4 Risk Factors.
Doctors drop the ball on risk assessment
Formally assessing your risk of coronary artery
disease is one of the most important things your doctor can do for you. This is
true for two reasons. First, unless a specific effort is made to proactively
assess that risk, the very first sign of actual trouble is likely to be sudden
death. And second, if the risk is elevated, there are very effective methods for
reducing that risk. DrRich discusses what your doctor should be doing to measure
your risk - and what you can be doing yourself.
Links related to cardiac
risk factors
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