Study finds 99 percent of heart attack, stroke victims had these common risk factors: HealthLink

SEATTLE — A groundbreaking study reveals that more than 99% of people who suffered cardiac events like heart attacks or strokes already had "nonoptimal" levels of at least one common risk factor, highlighting the critical importance of monitoring cardiovascular health indicators.

The research, published this fall in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, analyzed medical records of nearly 7,000 U.S. adults and 9 million people from South Korea over more than a decade.

The study concluded that most cardiac events don't strike by complete surprise. Four precursors — high blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and smoking — at high levels, went unaddressed before patients experienced heart disease.

"The more of these risk factors you gather along the pathway of life, the g