Heart disease is very common in the UK and affects up to half of us during our lifetime, with approximately one quarter of deaths being due to cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The good new is that by adopting a preventative approach, we can prevent and delay the onset of heart disease.

Dr O’Gallagher is an expert in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. He helps patients to understand their risk of future heart disease. He can advise on what you can do now to prevent problems such as heart attack or stroke in the future.

Important conditions that affect a patient’s risk of future heart disease include common conditions such as

• High blood pressure (hypertension), which affects approximately one third of adults in their lifetime and is associated with up to half of all heart attacks.

• High cholesterol. Half of us will have elevated cholesterol levels, while one in five heart attacks is associated with raised cholesterol, in particular LDL cholesterol, commonly known as ‘bad’ cholesterol.

• Smoking. It has been long established that smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease

• Diabetes.

• Obesity and sedentary lifestyle. The standard UK lifestyle does not involve as much activity and exercise as it used to, while maintaining a healthy diet can difficult.

• Inherited risk. Although the risk factors listed above are things that can usually be modified by lifestyle and/or medical treatments, there is a proportion of heart disease risk that is due to inherited/genetic factors that patients are unable to do anything about. Dr O’Gallagher can advise on testing where relevant to help define this risk, for example if there is a family history of very high cholesterol levels.