..     Email link to a friend Printable version Introduction Cardiovascular disease is caused not by one risk factor alone, but by several factors. Combinations of risk factors multiply, rather than merely add, their individual effects on your likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease. At the same time, the presence of certain risk factors may influence the subsequent development of other risk factors. For instance, smoking, which in itself sharply increases a person’s risk of heart attack, tends to lead to high blood pressure, which is another contributory factor for heart disease. Fortunately, the majority of these risk factors can be reduced by making changes to your lifestyle.     Back to top