Well-documented risk factors for cardiovascular disease include hypertension, high cholesterol, male gender, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and a 1st degree family history (e.g., parent, sibling) of premature heart disease (i.e., heart attacks in men prior to age 55 and in women prior to age 65). Other, less robust, but still generally accepted risk factors include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, high fat diet, a 2nd degree family history of premature heart disease (e.g., aunt, grandparent), and persistently high stress levels.
Cardiovascular disease risk factors medical expert witness specialties include cardiology, heart failure cardiology, interventional cardiology, internal medicine, hospitalist medicine, critical care medicine, and cardiac electrophysiology.