Heart Questions

Hi There,

I am 26 years old. My lab results are:
Cholesterol 157
HDL 45
Cholesterol, Non HDL 112
Triglycerides 46
LDL 103

I am a smoker and I don't have a very active lifestyle due to a probable diagnosis of MS and a possible inflammatory bowel disease AKA, they don't know what the heck is going on!

Heart attack, heart disease and angina run deep and wide in the women on my mom's side of the family. Angina runs on my dad's side as well and my mother has a prolapsed mitrovalve and angina. Several women in my family died of a heart attack and heart disease.

I know I shouldn't smoke. I want to know what my risk is and what I can do to minimize it.

Also, what tests should a doctor be preforming on me besides the above with my given family history? I want to make sure I stay on top of things... THank you.

[Cleveland Clinic]

Checking your cholesterol and making sure that it stays this way is a good first step.  The most imporatnt thing you can do now is quit smoking.  Smoking and diabetes are the most powereful risk factors for CAD.  I would make sure you eat well and maintain a healthy body mass to prevent the development of type II diabetes. Family history is also a powerful risk factor but unfortunately there is very little we can do about your genes in this day and age.