Preventing heart disease is easier than treating it, so knowing your family history may add years to your life.

Talk about your medical history with your family and relay that information to your doctor, say cardiologists at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston.

“Some people are just born with a genetic disadvantage, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do things to prevent progression of the disease,” says Dr. Ildiko Agoston, assistant professor of medicine at BCM.

In addition to a strong family history of heart disease, other risk factors include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, high triglyceride level and smoking.
Treating and recognizing symptoms early on is important, said Agoston. More young people are being diagnosed with high blood pressure, and in most cases it can be treated with a few, simple lifestyle changes.

Losing weight by exercising and living a more active lifestyle contribute to better heart health, but in some cases that is not enough.
“In severe cases with high blood pressure we prescribe medicine even to young people,” said Agoston. “But we hope with diet and exercise they won’t have to be on them the rest of their lives.”

By sharing your family’s history of heart disease, your cardiologist or primary care physician can assess your disease risk, discuss lifestyle changes with you and run tests to determine the severity of your risk factors.

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