Atherosclerosis risk factors

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Risk calculators and risk factors for Atherosclerosis risk factors

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

There are no established risk factors for [disease name].

OR

The most potent risk factor in the development of [disease name] is [risk factor 1]. Other risk factors include [risk factor 2], [risk factor 3], and [risk factor 4].

OR

Common risk factors in the development of [disease name] include [risk factor 1], [risk factor 2], [risk factor 3], and [risk factor 4].

OR

Common risk factors in the development of [disease name] may be occupational, environmental, genetic, and viral.

Risk Factors

There are no established risk factors for [disease name].

OR

The most potent risk factor in the development of [disease name] is [risk factor 1]. Other risk factors include [risk factor 2], [risk factor 3], and [risk factor 4].

OR

Common risk factors in the development of [disease name] include [risk factor 1], [risk factor 2], [risk factor 3], and [risk factor 4].

Common Risk Factors

• Common risk factors in the development of [disease name] may be occupational, environmental, genetic, and viral.
• Common risk factors in the development of [disease name] include:
  • [Risk factor 1]
  • [Risk factor 2]
  • [Risk factor 3]

Less Common Risk Factors

• Less common risk factors in the development of [disease name] include:
  • [Risk factor 1]
  • [Risk factor 2]
  • [Risk factor 3]

Risk Factors

Various anatomic, physiological & behavioral risk factors for atherosclerosis are known. These can be divided into various categories: congenital vs acquired, modifiable or not, classical or non-classical. The points labelled '+' in the following list form the core components of "metabolic syndrome":

• Advanced age
• Male sex
• Having Diabetes or Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) +
• Dyslipoproteinemia (unhealthy patterns of serum proteins carrying fats & cholesterol): +
  • High serum concentration of low density lipoprotein (LDL, "bad if elevated concentrations and small"), Lipoprotein(a) (a variant of LDL), and / or very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles, i.e. "lipoprotein subclass analysis"
  • Low serum concentration of functioning high density lipoprotein (HDL "protective if large and high enough" particles), i.e. "lipoprotein subclass analysis"
• Tobacco smoking
• Having high blood pressure +
• Being obese (in particular central obesity, also referred to as abdominal or male-type obesity) +
• A sedentary lifestyle
• Having close relatives who have had some complication of atherosclerosis (eg. coronary heart disease or stroke)
• Elevated serum levels of homocysteine
• Elevated serum levels of uric acid (also responsible for gout)
• Elevated serum fibrinogen concentrations +
• Chronic systemic inflammation as reflected by upper normal WBC concentrations, elevated hs-CRP and many other blood chemistry markers, most only research level at present, not clinically done.
• Stress or symptoms of clinical depression
• Hypothyroidism (a slow-acting thyroid)
• High intake of trans-fats and saturated fats in diet