According to a study conducted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, having a brother or sister with a history of cardiovascular disease carries the same or even greater risk as having a parent with the disease.

Heart attacks run in Rick Stults' family "Both my brother's had heart attacks by the time they were 48, so that puts me a little cautious at checking the heart. I get blood tests for cholesterol every 3 months, I usually do a stress test every 2 years."

Cardiologist Richard Gelb explains that Rick's precautionary measures are paying off and he's happy to report that at age 49, history has not repeated itself with him. "Because you share more genes with your siblings than you do even with your own parents so, not surprisingly sibling and heart disease is a major risk factor for heart disease, more so than if your parents had heart disease."

A recent study shows that if your sibling has had a cardiovascular event, like a heart attack then your risk factor may be raised by 45%. There are however, some proactive steps that you can take. Dr. Gelb says "We can still fix your cholesterol, your habits, your diabetes, your blood pressure, your weight, those are all things that count. Because if you wait until after your heart attack it will be too late."

Rick's advice to others is to talk to your physician and get checked if you have a family history of cardiovascular disease. "I stay pretty active. I play basketball still 2 or 3 times a week. I don't stay still too much."

While having a parent or sibling with heart disease has long been suggested to increase risk, this study shows that having a sibling with heart disease is a significant risk factor all by itself.