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The benefits of regular physical activity outweigh the risks. Rarely, heart problems such as arrhythmias, sudden cardiac arrest, and heart attack may occur in people who already have heart conditions such as coronary heart disease and congenital heart disease. Always ask your doctor about what type and amount of physical activity is safe for you.

Certain traits, conditions, or habits may raise your risk for the disease. Major risk factors include unhealthy blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, smoking, insulin resistance, diabetes, being overweight, lack of physical activity, an unhealthy diet, older age, and family history of early heart disease.

Your doctor will diagnose atherosclerosis based on your medical and family histories, a physical exam, and results from one or more tests: blood test, electrocardiogram (EKG), chest x ray, ankle/brachial index, echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) scan, stress testing, and angiography.

Taking action to control your risk factors—through heart-healthy eating, physical activity, quitting smoking, and weight control—can help prevent or delay atherosclerosis and its related diseases.

Many times, the cause of cardiomyopathy isn’t known. Cardiomyopathy can be acquired (you are not born with the condition but develop it due to another disease, condition, or factor) or inherited (your parents passed the gene for the disease on to you).

Your doctor will diagnose cardiomyopathy based on your medical and family histories, a physical exam, and the results from one or more tests: blood test, chest x ray, electrocardiogram (EKG), Holter and event monitors, echocardiography, stress testing, and genetic testing. To confirm a diagnosis or prepare for surgery, additional procedures may include cardiac catheterization, coronary angiography, and myocardial biopsy.

Carotid artery disease is a disease in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the carotid arteries in either side of the neck. The common carotid arteries divide into internal carotid arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to your brain, and external carotid arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to your face, scalp, and neck.

The major risk factors for carotid artery disease include diabetes, family history of atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, lack of physical activity, metabolic syndrome, older age, overweight or obesity, smoking, unhealthy blood cholesterol levels, and unhealthy diet.

If you have carotid artery disease, you can take steps to manage the condition, reduce risk factors, and prevent complications by making lifestyle changes, following your treatment plan, and getting ongoing care. Know the stroke warning signs and call 9–1–1 for emergency help if you think you are having a stroke.

The DASH eating plan is just one key part of a heart-healthy lifestyle, and combining it with other lifestyle changes such as physical activity can help you control your blood pressure and cholesterol.