BOSTON -- He's not exactly back on his feet, but former President Bill Clinton is on the road to recovery after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery Monday.

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Clinton reportedly ignored chest pains for months, and doctors said he had extensive artery blockage, leaving some Americans wondering if the same could happen to them.

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Dr. Daniel Levy, the head of the Framingham Heart Study that has followed more than 15,000 patients since 1948, said heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in both men and women.

"On average, one out of every two men and one out of every three women will develop heart disease during their lifetime," Levy said. "That said, there also are a large number of people walking around who have heart disease that's not yet clinically apparent. They may develop it at a later time or they may go on to live entirely full lives with advanced coronary blockages that are completely without symptoms."

Clinton's doctors said the former president had been experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath for months, but he blamed the episodes on irregular exercise and acid reflux. It wasn't until those symptoms flared up while he was resting that they caught his attention.

Experts say such symptoms should always be reported to a doctor because they could indicate serious heart disease.

Now that his four-hour quadruple bypass surgery has been declared a success, the former president will have to follow doctors' orders about lifestyle and diet. Although Clinton said there is heart disease in his family, his famous love of junk food was undoubtedly a contributing factor in his brush with death.

"When other high risk factors are present, when genetic predisposition is there, people on a very poor diet are at especially great risk for the development of heart disease," Levy said.

Levy stressed that prevention of heart disease begins early in life by recognizing risk factors. People should identify their blood pressure and know their cholesterol level -- two top indicators of heart problems.