Heart Attack Risk

[jdmac53]

Can you have a good chlosterol level - slight high blood pressure - normal tryglicerides and not have diabetes and still have a heart attack? I have been having chest pains off and on and do not want to over react when it happens and my endrocrinilogy  Dr. said that all my numbers look good from my blood work so he really would doubt it has anything to do with the actual heart. I have a history of heart problems within my family and I am over weight  - ?

[Grifter]

I`m not a Doc,  but I did have a heart attack at 57 years old.  Low chloesteral levels, blood pressure on the high side of normal, low triglicerides, no diabetes, non-smoker, maybe 25 lbs overweight, history of heart problems in family.  No pre-warning symptoms either. It just hammered me one afternoon.  So, my humble opinion would be Yes it is possible.

[CCFHeartMD16]

Grifter has some good comments.

It is entirely possible that you can have a normal blood pressure, lab results, and other testing, but still be at risk. There are are many things that also put us at risk for developing heart disease, which include obesity, smoking, and genetics (family history). If your parents or siblings in particular had heart disease, that increases your risk significantly (especially if they had heart disease before the age of 55).

While your normal pressure and labs do confer a lower risk for you, it doesn't eliminate it completely. If you are having intermittent chest pains, consider seeing your primary physician or a cardiologist for an EKG, and depending on your story, can pursue more testing if necessary. If the lab work is recent (past 6-12 months) it won't have to be repeated, just make sure your Endocrinologist shares it with the other docs.