Mayor Ed Lee of San Francisco died last month of a sudden heart attack at age 65. His father died of the same disease at 49.

Ed Lee joins other notables who had a coronary event, relatively young, some surviving. These include former Laker coach Phil Jackson at 57, Meet the Press host Tim Russert at 58, ex-POTUS Bill Clinton at 58, marathoner and author on running Jim Fixx at 52, Stanford quarterback and orthopedist Don Bunce at 54, Houston Astro baseball pitcher Darryl Kile at 33, entertainer David Bowie at 57, author of “The Cat Who Ate My Gymsuit” Paula Danzinger at 57, and Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher at 60.

Mayor Ed Lee of San Francisco died last month of a sudden heart attack at age 65. His father died of the same disease at 49.

Ed Lee joins other notables who had a coronary event, relatively young, some surviving. These include former Laker coach Phil Jackson at 57, Meet the Press host Tim Russert at 58, ex-POTUS Bill Clinton at 58, marathoner and author on running Jim Fixx at 52, Stanford quarterback and orthopedist Don Bunce at 54, Houston Astro baseball pitcher Darryl Kile at 33, entertainer David Bowie at 57, author of “The Cat Who Ate My Gymsuit” Paula Danzinger at 57, and Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher at 60.

For more than two decades we have had access to information that can inform who is at risk and what we can do to reverse this. While cardiovascular disease is often difficult to diagnoses and may be invisible until it results in a cardiac event, we can diagnose the degree of risk. Genetics, family history and lifestyle factors all play a part. And we can reverse it! that’s the good news.

Check out the “Simple Seven” risk factors at the American Heart Association website. Or put your data on this computerized site Pooled Cohort 10-Year ASCVD Risk Assessment Equations to find your heart attack risk, especially helpful for non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks.

Call our office for answers to your questions.