A look at what’s affecting your patients - by the numbers.

Cardiology Education Important for a Healthier Heart

The lifetime cardiovascular risk for men aged 45-85 with a grade school education compared with 42 percent for men with a graduate or professional school education. For women, lifetime cardiovascular risk was 51 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Educational attainment was inversely associated with cardiovascular disease regardless of socioeconomic factors such as family income, occupation or parental education level. Source: JAMA Internal Medicine. News release. June 12, 2017.

Home Blood Pressure Readings May Be Unreliable

The proportion of unacceptably inaccurate home blood pressure readings. This could lead to serious implications for people who rely on them to make informed health decisions. Testing dozens of home monitors, researchers found the devices were off the mark by 10 mm Hg about 30 percent of the time. Source: University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. News release. June 7, 2017.

Food Policies May Reduce Deaths from Heart Disease

The reduction in the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease by 2030 that could result from a nationwide subsidy of 10 percent for fruits and vegetables, according to a study examining how food policies may lower cardiovascular death rates in the U.S. Giving recipients of the supplemental nutrition assistance program a 30 percent subsidy for fruits and vegetables could avert 35,100 cardiovascular disease deaths. Source: University of Liverpool. News release. June 6, 2017.

Are Dose Combinations More Effective for BP Lowering?

The number of blood pressure- (BP) lowering medications taken in combination, each at a quarter dose, that provided nearly twice the effectiveness as taking one BP-lowering medication at the standard dose. Two medications in combination, each at a quarter dose, was just as effective as one BP-lowering medication at the standard dose. Side effects were similar with placebo for the single and dual quarter-dose therapies and much less than a standard dose BP-lowering medication. Source: American Heart Association. News release. June 5, 2017.

Adherence to BP Medications Still Low

The number of patients with high blood pressure who fail to take medication. Younger and female patients were more likely to not adhere to prescribed medications. Source: University of Leicester. News release. May 25, 2017.

Many Not Willing to Put in the Effort to be Fit

The amount of U.S. adults who say being in shape and looking good are “very important” to them, but only 31 percent reported making exercise a regular habit, while 45 percent admitted to not being active at all. According to researchers, body dissatisfaction is not a good motivator for exercise, but those who exercise for health reasons are more likely to stick with it. Source: HealthDay. June 19, 2017

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Keywords: ACC Publications, Cardiology Magazine

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