For those of us interested in preventive medicine (and that should be everyone), there is some exciting information with regards to the prevention of heart disease. We all know that this is the leading cause of death in our country, and if we could reduce its incidence, well, that would be a great thing. What if you could lessen your chances of developing coronary artery disease by 60% over your life-time? I’ll promise you the bookies in Vegas would be excited by that, and you should too.
We are well aware of the modifiable risk factors for this disease – smoking, hypertension, diabetes, lack of exercise, excessive weight, elevated cholesterol. But it’s this last one that is causing a stir among cardiologists and preventive medicine specialists. A large study recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology looked at the feasibility and effectiveness of identifying and treating young people who had elevated lipid levels. They defined “young” as those under the age of 35. (I just missed it by a couple of months.) The authors of the study demonstrated a decrease in the development of heart disease with the use of “statin” drugs (Lipitor, Crestor, etc.) in this younger group of people. For instance, if a 30 year-old is started on one of these drugs, his/her chance of a future cardiac event could be reduced by as much as 60%. That’s important.
We know that coronary artery disease starts early, and progressively worsens over time, so this intervention makes sense, along with improving the above-mentioned risk factors.
Now, what should you do with this information? If you’re past the “younger” years, keep working on the things that increase your risk for heart disease. And if you’re 35 or less, or your children or loved-ones are, it makes sense to know what your lipid numbers are, and to talk with your doctor about treatment if they’re elevated.
Once again, “an ounce of prevention”…
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