Am I at risk for a heart attack or stroke?

Stroke and heart attack can have similar causes. So, it is not surprising why many people ask the question: am I at risk for a heart attack or stroke? We will explore the causes of a stroke and a heart attack and the question: am I at risk for a heart attack or stroke.

Cause of heart attack or stroke

The most common cause of heart attack is hardening or atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. This is sometimes called coronary artery disease. The most common cause of a stroke is also atherosclerosis. With a common cause, people who have heart attack and people who have a stroke often have the same risk factors, leading to atherosclerosis. Examples of these risk factors leading to either stroke or heart attack are:

• family history
• high blood pressure or hypertension
• diabetes
• smoking
• high cholesterol or hyperhomocysteinemia

There are many more causes of stroke than of heart attacks.

You have a heart attack (vs stroke)

If you have repeated bouts of chest pain or angina, you are likely to have a heart attack in the future, not stroke. However, angina doesn't mean you will have a heart attack. It means you are at risk of a heart attack. Other risk factors also come into play. The risk of having a stroke depends more on pre existing conditions.