Study finds four risk factors behind nearly all heart attacks and strokes

A large-scale U.S. study reviewing data from more than 9 million adults has found that roughly 99 percent of heart attack, stroke and heart failure cases are linked to four primary risk factors, the American College of Cardiology reported. According to the study, published in the journal of the American College of Cardiology, those factors are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and current or past smoking. Researchers said high blood pressure was the most influential of the four, appearing in more than 93 percent of cases examined in both the United States and South Korea. Lead investigator Philip Greenland said exposure to at least one of the four risk factors was confirmed in nearly all cases preceding cardiovascular complications. Scientists involved in the research said the findings reshape the understanding of heart disease prevention and stressed the importance of early blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar screenings. The study's authors pointed to regular health check-ups, healthy lifestyle choices and the use of existing treatments as effective tools against cardiovascular disease, which remains a leading cause of death worldwide.