We’ve covered what cardiovascular disease is, but what causes it?
There isn’t a single, specific cause of cardiovascular disease. Instead, there are several factors that can increase an individual’s possibility of developing CVD. These are referred to as ‘risk factors’ and they increase your chances of developing symptoms.
The more risk factors that someone has, the more likely they are to get cardiovascular disease.
- Disclaimer: The risk of developing cardiovascular disease is never 0 and regardless of other risk factors, risk naturally increases with age.
In some parts of the UK people over 40 years old will be invited to an NHS Health Check at their GP’s every 5 years. The health check will assess someone’s individual cardiovascular risk and advise how to reduce it if necessary. This is currently not standard practice in Scotland.
- To learn more about the NHS Health Check, please visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/
There are risk factors that can’t be changed (non-modifiable). Examples of these include age, gender, ethnicity, and family history.
Please click on the different non-modifiable risk factors listed below to learn more about them.
Non-Modifiable Risk Factors:
