you are at risk for/of heart disease

Question

If you don't exercise regularly and eat right then you are at risk of/for heart disease.Do both of and for fit in the above and mean about the same? Thanks.

Yankee · Accepted Answer

Hi Angliholic

Yes, both are used and mean the same thing.

Angliholic · Answer

Thanks, Amy.

Got it.

Philip · Answer

YankeeHi Angliholic

Yes, both are used and mean the same thing.

I've never heard 'for', but I'll take your word for it.

Yankee · Answer

Philip
YankeeHi Angliholic

Yes, both are used and mean the same thing.
I've never heard 'for', but I'll take your word for it.

Personally, I prefer 'of', but I've heard 'for' used often enough that it seems there are quite a few people who don't share my preference.

Avangi · Answer

Me too!

Maybe it's a gringo thing or a doctor thing - "risk factors" "How many of these are you at risk for?" I hear it a lot because I'm at risk for all of 'em. (Doctors are too busy to worry about grammar.)

- A.

Edit. Sorry, I got that wrong. Smoking and high cholesterol are risk factors; stroke and heart attack are what you're at risk for/of.

Hoa Thai · Answer

Yankee
Philip
YankeeHi Angliholic

Yes, both are used and mean the same thing.
I've never heard 'for', but I'll take your word for it.
Personally, I prefer 'of', but I've heard 'for' used often enough that it seems there are quite a few people who don't share my preference.

Hi,

I use of too. But as Amy said, there are also many people use for. Google search for 'risk of a heart attack' yields 147,000 hits, 43,000 for 'risk for a heart attack'.

Best Regards,
Hoa Thai

Anonymous · Answer

Google search for 'risk of a heart attack' yields 147,000 hits, 43,000 for 'risk for a heart attack'.

How strange ... here are my results: 'http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=it&q=%22risk+of+a+heart+attack%22&meta=: 300,000 hits; 'http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=it&q=%22risk+for+a+heart+attack%22&meta=: 64,300 hits.

If we restrict this search to sites from the UK (to reduce the influence of contents posted by non-native speakers):

"http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=it&q=%22risk+of+a+heart+attack%22+site%3A*.uk&meta=" 1,620 hits
"http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=it&q=%22risk+for+a+heart+attack%22+site%3A*.uk&meta=" 30 hits

and if we further limit this search to British universities' websites:

"http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=it&q=%22risk+of+a+heart+attack%22+site%3A*.ac.uk&meta=": 76 hits
"http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=it&q=%22risk+for+a+heart+attack%22+site%3A*.ac.uk&meta=": 3 hits

However, if the search is performed on ".edu" websites only ...

"http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=it&q=%22risk+of+a+heart+attack%22+site%3A*.edu&meta=": 451 hits
"http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=it&q=%22risk+for+a+heart+attack%22+site%3A*.edu&meta=": 551 hits

Angliholic · Answer

Avangi
Me too!

Maybe it's a gringo thing or a doctor thing - "risk factors" "How many of these are you at risk for?" I hear it a lot because I'm at risk for all of 'em. (Doctors are too busy to worry about grammar.) Hi, what do you mean by "a gringa thing?"

- A.

Edit. Sorry, I got that wrong. Smoking and high cholesterol are risk factors; stroke and heart attack are what you're at risk for/of.

Hi, I am all at seas about this; what do you mean by this?

Thanks, Avangi.

What you descirbed is all Greek to me? Would you be kind enough to say it again in other words? Thanks.

Yankee · Answer

If you search only for "at risk for" on the BNC, you will get results for "at risk for (various ailments)".

And when I did a search on the New York Times website for "at risk for", the very first result was "they might be at risk for hepatitis and H.I.V."

And a NY Times search for "at risk for a heart attack" got me this sentence (among others) from a doctor: "Both her diabetes and high blood pressure put her at risk for a heart attack."

That's why I said that not everyone shares my preference for "at risk of".

Avangi · Answer

Angliholic
Avangi
Me too!

Maybe it's a gringo thing or a doctor thing - "risk factors" "How many of these are you at risk for?" I hear it a lot because I'm at risk for all of 'em. (Doctors are too busy to worry about grammar.) Hi, what do you mean by "a gringa thing?"

- A.

Edit. Sorry, I got that wrong. Smoking and high cholesterol are risk factors; stroke and heart attack are what you're at risk for/of.

Hi, I am all at seas about this; what do you mean by this?

Thanks, Avangi.

What you descirbed is all Greek to me? Would you be kind enough to say it again in other words? Thanks.

Sorry about that, Angliholic, I believe I got carried away.

I was trying to make the point that different populations might have different pronoun preferences in the expression, "at risk for/of [some disease or medical condition]." That seems to have been born out by the internet searches described above. I thought Americans (gringos to some) might prefer "at risk for [heart disease]."

The medical practice community is heavily invested in the concept of "risk factors" and (naturally) has influenced the attendant language. I have the feeling that practicing doctors take a less academic approach to language than do students of other disciplines - simply because a medical education is so demanding. From my own experience as a patient I know that "at risk for" is widely used.

[That's what I wanted to say. Sorry about the slang.]

- A.

you are at risk for/of heart disease

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