Recognizing the symptoms of CAD is the first step toward curing it. In Reverend Johnson’s case, these symptoms included:
•    Rapid pounding of his heart
•    Shortness of breath
•    Pain or pressure located in the center of his chest, sometimes spreading to the arms, back, or jaw
Other symptoms include:
•    Swelling of the legs
•    Fainting spells
•    Nausea and vomiting

But even before symptoms are apparent, there’s a way of anticipating them. Doctors call such signs risk factors–preconditions that make it likely that someone may have a heart attack. Here’s a list of risk factors, in a descending order of urgency (which doesn’t mean that any should be ignored):

1.    High cholesterol levels (In chapter 12 we talk about the distinction between “good” cholesterol [HDL] and “bad” cholesterol [LDL]. For the time being, when we say “cholesterol,” we mean bad cholesterol.)

3.    High fat content in diet (see chapters 12 and 13), which may lead to high cholesterol levels and to still another risk factor-that is,
4.    Excess weight and diabetes
5.    Smoking
6.    Advanced age
7.    Family history of heart disease
8.    Lack of exercise
9.    Excessive alcohol use

Look these over. Only two of the risk factors are totally beyond our control. We cannot avoid aging (except by the worse alternative), and we can’t unwrite our genetic makeup. We can watch what we eat, we can exercise, and thus lower our blood pressure, and we certainly can stop smoking or, even better, never begin. These aren’t lifestyle matters-they’re matters of life and death.
Before we discuss symptoms further in chapter 2, we want to say a few words about hypertension-high blood pressurebecause it’s the most dangerous risk factor, especially for African Americans. Elevated blood pressure, no matter how mildly elevated, is likely to result in coronary artery disease. It is one of the body’s early warning systems.

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