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The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.
James 5:15
A few lifestyle changes can reduce your chances of vascular disease

It’s time to take charge of your health!

You can take steps to decrease your chances of developing serious vascular diseases such as heart disease, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm and peripheral arterial disease. Of course, each person is different and there are some risk factors you cannot change, such as family history. But a few lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of developing these conditions.

Learn the risk factors and determine the ones you can control. Make a list of those items you can change for the better.

If you smoke cigarettes, stop. Smoking approximately doubles the risk of stroke and is a major risk factor for other life-threatening vascular diseases.

“Smoking is the most serious risk factor that people have control over,” said Alan McLeod, M.D., medical director, Baptist Rehabilitation-Germantown. “It really does cause serious damage to the arteries in the body. It accelerates the process of hardening of the arteries.” This process can lead to vascular disease.

It is also important to control high blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels by visiting your doctor regularly. There are many medications on the market today that are extremely effective in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Eating a diet low in saturated fats and exercising regularly are also important for vascular health.

Look at the following risk factors for vascular disease. The more risk factors you have, the higher your chances of becoming ill.

Are you at risk for heart disease?

  • Do you smoke?
  • Do you have high cholesterol?
  • Do you have high blood pressure?
  • Are you physically active?
  • Are you overweight?
  • Do you have diabetes?
  • How do you respond to stress?
  • Do you drink excessively?
  • Are you older than 65?
  • Do you have a family history of heart disease?
  • Are you African-American, Native-American, Mexican-American, a native Hawaiian or Asian-American?


Are you at risk for stroke?

  • Is your blood pressure high? (Increases risk by four to six times)
  • Are you African-American? (Double the risk of Caucasian Americans)
  • Do you smoke? (Increases your risk by two to seven times)
  • Have you been diagnosed with arterial or heart disease?
  • Do you have diabetes? (Increases your risk by three times)
  • Is your cholesterol level higher than 240? (Increases your risk by two times)
  • Are your triglycerides higher than 150?
  • Is your LDL (bad cholesterol) 100 or higher?
  • Do you have blood disorders?
  • Are you overweight or obese?
  • Are you inactive?
  • Do you drink excessively?
  • Do you use illegal drugs?
  • Are you older than 65? (Two-thirds of strokes occur in people older than 65.)
  • Are you male? (Risk is 1.25 times that of women)
  • Do you have a family history of the disease?
  • Do you live in the Southeast United States? (This area, known as the stroke belt, has the highest stroke death rate in the United States.)


Are you at risk for peripheral arterial disease?

  • Do you have high blood pressure?
  • Do you smoke?
  • Do you have diabetes?
  • Are you male?
  • Are you older than 50?
  • Do you have a family history of atherosclerosis?
  • Do you have a family history of peripheral arterial disease?
  • Is your cholesterol higher than 240?
  • Are you inactive?


Are you at risk for abdominal aortic aneurysm?

  • Are you older than 60?
  • Are you male? (Men are four times more likely to have abdominal aortic aneurysm than women.)
  • Do you have a close relative with abdominal aortic aneurysm?
  • Do you have a history of atherosclerosis?
  • Do you smoke? (Smokers are four times more likely to die from ruptured aneurysms.)
  • Do you have high blood pressure?


Noninvasive, simple screening tests are available for these diseases. Screening for vascular disease that can lead to stroke, heart disease, and abdominal aortic aneurysm uses imaging technology, such as ultrasound, to look for evidence of disease. The test for peripheral arterial disease measures the blood pressure in the ankles. Typically these tests are recommended for people 40 and older with risk factors. Calcium coronary scoring (HeartScore™) for heart disease also is recommended for people 40 and older.

If you have risk factors for vascular disease, discuss them with your physician. Together you can chart a plan for better health.

Published: September 29, 2005
Source: Alan McLeod, M.D., medical director, Baptist Rehabilitation-Germantown
Writer: Elizabeth Todd Bartholomew, MA, APR


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