Answer the following questions to see if you are likely to develop heart problems.
- Are you a woman over 55?
- Are you a man over 45?
- Do you smoke?
- Are you of Maori or Pacific Island descent?
- Are you overweight?
- Do you have high blood pressure?
- Do you have high cholesterol?
- Do you have a family history of heart disease?
- Do you have diabetes?
- Do you have angina?
- Have you ever had a heart attack, stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA)?
Did you say yes? The more times you answered yes, the greater your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
If you said yes to at least one of the above questions, you should ask your GP for a risk assessment, which involves some basic checks and can calculate your chance of developing heart disease.
If you answered yes to questions nine to 11 you are in a high-risk category and should already be seeing your doctor regularly.
