Heart disease runs in my family, or at least among the men. What does this mean for me?

ON Mar 3, 2010 at 2:55PM

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Heart disease runs in my family, or at least among the men. What does this mean for me? Question:
Nancy Snyderman, M.D.
ABOUT THE EXPERT

Nancy Snyderman, M.D.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman is busy. A mom of three, she’s also the chief medical editor for NBC, appearing regularly on The Today Show,... Read more

This is a really, really good question. The simple answer is the men in your family may have no bearing on you at all; or this really could be part of your family history and may mean you need to be extra vigilant. You didn’t mention the ages of the men in your family when they had heart problems, or if they were smokers. Those bits of information are very important. With that said, sit down with a cardiologist, explain this family history, and if everything looks normal, ask about taking low-dose aspirin. I always think it’s smart to take aspirin under a doctor’s guidance. Not everybody should be on it, but for the great majority of us aspirin may be the best, cheapest way to prevent heart disease—besides watching what you eat, getting exercise and never smoking.

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