Internal risk factors

Certain risk factors, such as age, gender, family history, and ethnic background, are known as internal or non-modifiable risks because they can’t be changed. However, understanding these factors is important, as they help you and your medical advisor assess your heart health more accurately.

While you cannot change these internal risks, utilising this knowledge allows you to focus on positive lifestyle changes that can make a difference, such as eating well, staying active, managing stress, and avoiding smoking and alcohol.

Below, we detail what these internal risks are and why they may arise:

Gender

On average, men tend to be at a higher risk of developing or experiencing heart concerns compared to women.

For example, in the UK, women have roughly half the number of heart attacks as men. Heart disease is also one of the leading causes of death in men in the UK.

This may be due to several reasons, including environmental factors. For example, on average, more men occupy challenging job roles. Men may find it more difficult to cope with stress compared to women. 

However, women are often overlooked when it comes to medical care, resulting in unnecessary deaths from conditions such as heart disease or heart attack. 

Biologically, men and women have different hormonal environments that can influence heart health. Testosterone can contribute to higher levels of LDL (bad) and lower HDL (good) cholesterol, increasing plaque buildup in arteries. In contrast, premenopausal women, who may have higher levels of estrogen, experience a protective effect on the cardiovascular system, which promotes better blood vessel dilation, reduces inflammation, and improves lipid profiles. After menopause, estrogen levels drop, and women’s heart disease risk rises.

So, it’s essential to be attentive to your lifestyle habits and seek the right care, regardless of gender.

Family history

If you have close family members, such as a grandparent or parent, who have experienced a heart condition, you may be at a higher risk of developing one yourself. Conditions such as heart disease cannot be inherited directly. However, issues can develop due to a combination of inherited behaviours, lifestyle patterns, and a potential genetic risk of factors that can affect heart health, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. 

Some heart conditions can be directly inherited, such as cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, or familial hypercholesterolemia, through changes to one or a few genes passed down from parent to child.

To combat family history risk, changing your lifestyle habits to be healthier can reduce your chances of developing a heart issue.

Age

As you age, changes to your heart and blood vessels can occur, leading to the development of heart issues.

Some of the changes that can happen with age include:

• Your heart can’t beat as fast during physical activity
• An increased feeling that your heart is fluttering, beating too fast or skipping a beat
• The chambers of your heart may increase in size, and the heart wall thickens
• The valves that control blood flow between heart chambers may become thicker and stiffer
• Your arteries can also become less flexible, which raises your blood pressure and puts more strain on your heart

Although age is unavoidable, you can implement treatment and lifestyle changes that can delay or lower your risk. Controlling your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and heart rate can help improve your heart health at any age.

The NHS has a tool to help you discover your ‘heart age’ compared to your biological age. For example, your heart age is 50 compared to your actual age of 40. Click here to find out more.

Ethnic background

Research has found that Black African, African Caribbean, or South Asian individuals living in the UK are at a higher risk of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes compared to white Europeans.

Scientists are still trying to find out precisely what causes the differences in risk to help develop tools to help highlight those who are at increased risk.

How can I reduce my internal risks?

Unfortunately, non-modifiable, or internal, risk factors cannot be changed, but there are things you can implement to help improve your general heart health and lower your chances of a heart condition.

These changes include:

• Healthier diet
• Regular exercise regime
• A healthy sleep schedule 
• Manage your mental health and stress
• Stopping smoking and drinking alcohol
• Maintain a healthy weight

If you are worried about your risks and want to investigate your heart’s health further, talk to our expert cardiologist to learn more.

We can help guide you through your journey to improving your heart’s health and reaching your lifestyle goals.