(WKTV) - You may be at risk for sudden cardiac death, and not even know it.

It's one of the leading causes of death here in the United States.

Your heart is like a team of rowers - all the muscles in it beat in a certain way to keep your blood pumping. But when sudden cardiac death occurs, everything gets thrown off.

"When an arrhythmia occurs and the heart does not beat in a coordinated fashion, the muscles still work," said Dr. Robert Lancey, chief of cardiac surgery at Bassett Healthcare. "But they're all rowing in different directions, so blood cannot be pumped effectively out of the heart."

Dr. Lancey said most who die from sudden cardiac arrest didn't even know they were at risk.

"About half of the men and 2/3 of the women who die suddenly from a heart attack didn't even know they had heart disease," he said.

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death, but can be prevented by making lifestyle changes:

*eating low cholesterol meals
*getting 30 minutes of exercise each day
*quitting the habit if you smoke

"Really, the key is prevention," Dr. Lancey said. "And beyond that, screening of at-risk individuals to make sure they have appropriate treatment and are not at risk for sudden cardiac death."

The easiest way to find out if you're at risk is to take a preliminary heart disease risk assessment. It takes up to 15 minutes, and could mean the difference between life or death.