Heart Health Education Hub
Understanding Heart Disease Risk
Clear, evidence-based information on coronary heart disease: what raises your risk, the warning signs of a heart attack, the numbers to know and how to protect your heart.
What is coronary heart disease?
Coronary heart disease happens when fatty deposits (plaque) build up inside the arteries that supply the heart. The arteries narrow and stiffen, reducing blood flow. If a plaque breaks open and a clot forms, blood flow can stop suddenly, causing a heart attack.
It develops silently over many years, driven mostly by high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol, smoking, diabetes and inactivity. The good news: most of these risks can be measured and lowered.
17.9Mdeaths each year worldwide from cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death
1 in 3adults aged 30 to 79 worldwide have high blood pressure
~31%of Nigerian adults have high blood pressure
Sources: World Health Organization, Cardiovascular diseases fact sheet and Global report on hypertension (2023); Adeloye D, et al. Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 2021.
Heart disease risk factors
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High total or LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol
- Smoking or tobacco use
- Diabetes
- Overweight, especially around the waist
- Physical inactivity
- Diet high in salt, sugar and processed fats
- Heavy alcohol use
- Age (over 45 for men, over 55 for women)
- Family history of early heart disease
This heart risk test scores the most important of these and shows which ones apply to you.
Heart attack warning signs
- Chest pain, pressure or tightness
- Pain spreading to the arm, jaw, neck or back
- Shortness of breath
- Cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness
- Unusual tiredness, especially in women
- Symptoms that come on with effort and ease with rest
If you think someone is having a heart attack, get emergency help immediately. Go to the nearest hospital emergency unit. Do not wait to see if symptoms pass.
Know your numbers
| Measure | Healthy target | Talk to a clinician if |
|---|
| Blood pressure | Below 120/80 mmHg | 130/80 mmHg or higher (140/90 under WHO criteria); 180/120 or higher is urgent |
| Total cholesterol | Below 200 mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L) | 240 mg/dL (6.2 mmol/L) or higher |
| LDL (bad) cholesterol | Below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L) | 160 mg/dL (4.1 mmol/L) or higher |
| HDL (good) cholesterol | 60 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L) or higher | Below 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L) |
| Triglycerides | Below 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L) | 200 mg/dL (2.3 mmol/L) or higher |
| Fasting blood sugar | Below 5.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) | 7.0 mmol/L (126 mg/dL) or higher |
General adult reference ranges based on NCEP ATP III and common clinical guidelines. Your clinician may set different targets for you.
How to protect your heart
- Stop smoking: risk falls within a year
- Check your blood pressure at least once a year
- Cut salt: go easy on seasoning cubes and salty snacks
- Choose fish, beans and vegetables over fried and fatty meat
- Walk briskly 30 minutes, 5 days a week
- Keep a healthy weight and waist size
- Limit alcohol
- Take prescribed medicines every day, even when you feel well
Heart disease treatment and care
Treatment depends on your risk and diagnosis. It may include medicines to lower blood pressure, statins to lower cholesterol, aspirin when prescribed, diabetes control and lifestyle changes. Taking medicines consistently is one of the most powerful ways to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
HubPharm's heart health programme provides authentic blood pressure and cholesterol medicines delivered to your door, pharmacist follow-up and daily reminders through Afiya, our AI health companion on WhatsApp. Never start, stop or change heart medicines without medical advice.
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Heart disease, diabetes and poor sleep are closely linked. These free, confidential tools help you see the bigger picture.
Last updated: November 2026 · HubPharm Africa · For education only, not a substitute for medical advice.