you may know you have high risk if heart disease runs in your family, if close relatives had heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Doctors start taking your blood pressure when you are a teenager. They measure cholesterol when you get a full check-up. And, of course, they now you have heart disease if you have a heart attack. you can go to a doc, and tell him you want to be checked for heart and pulmonary risk factors. and yes, they think you should have a checkup every year or 2 , even if you seem perfectly healthy.