{"id":14442,"date":"2019-04-23T10:00:17","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T15:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=14442"},"modified":"2019-04-23T00:31:21","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T05:31:21","slug":"american-college-of-cardiology-american-heart-association-guidance-for-preventing-heart-disease-stroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2019\/04\/23\/american-college-of-cardiology-american-heart-association-guidance-for-preventing-heart-disease-stroke\/","title":{"rendered":"American College of Cardiology \/ American Heart Association Guidance for Preventing Heart Disease, Stroke"},"content":{"rendered":"

American Heart Association <\/h2>\n

\"AmericanNew Orleans, LA<\/strong> – The choices we make every day can have a lasting effect on our heart and vascular health. Adopting a heart healthy eating plan, getting more exercise, avoiding tobacco and managing known risk factors are among the key recommendations in the 2019 Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease guideline from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). Also, it is recommended that aspirin should only rarely be used to help prevent heart attacks and stroke in people without known cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

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4 chambers of the heart: right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle. (American Heart Association)<\/p><\/div>\n

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The guideline, presented today at ACC\u2019s 68th<\/sup> Annual Scientific Session, is offers comprehensive but practical recommendations for preventing cardiovascular disease, which remains the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Nearly 1 out of 3 deaths in the U.S. is due to cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important way to prevent cardiovascular disease, whether it\u2019s a build-up of plaque in the arteries, heart attack, stroke, heart failure or issues with how the heart contracts and pumps blood to the rest of the body, is by adopting heart healthy habits and to do so over one\u2019s lifetime,\u201d said Roger S. Blumenthal, MD, co-chair of the 2019 ACC\/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and the Kenneth Jay Pollin Professor of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine. \u201cMore than 80 percent of all cardiovascular events are preventable through lifestyle changes, yet we often fall short in terms of implementing these strategies and controlling other risk factors.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new prevention guideline, he said, is intended to provide a roadmap of strategies that can be used and tailored to help people without a history of heart disease stay heart healthy and, importantly, emphasize the need to identify and address personal or social barriers for doing so (e.g., income and education levels, cost concerns, lack of health insurance, access to healthy foods or safe places to exercise, life stressors).<\/p>\n

Risk Assessment<\/h3>\n

According to the guideline, any effort to prevent a first instance of cardiovascular disease (called primary prevention) should ideally start with a thorough assessment of one\u2019s risk\u2014that is, estimating how likely someone is to develop blockages in their arteries and have a heart attack or stroke or die as a result.<\/p>\n

All patients should openly talk with their care team about their current health habits and personal risk for cardiovascular disease and, together, determine the best way to prevent it based on current evidence and personal preferences.<\/p>\n

[320left]\u201cWe have good evidence now for how to identify these very high risk individuals with a physical exam and a good history, and for those at borderline risk there are additional factors that can help us determine who is at greater risk and should, for example, be on a medication like a statin earlier to prevent a cardiovascular event,\u201d Blumenthal said. \u201cIn the past, a lot of people may have had a fatalistic attitude that they were going to develop heart problems sooner or later but, in reality, most cardiovascular events can be prevented.\u201d<\/p>\n

The document synthesizes the best data and proven interventions for improving diet and exercise, tobacco cessation and optimally controlling other factors that affect one\u2019s likelihood of heart problems and stroke (e.g., obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure). The document also discusses the challenges that may interfere with individuals being able to integrate better lifestyle habits. <\/p>\n

Lifestyle Change Recommendations<\/h3>\n

The guideline underscores healthy lifestyle changes as the cornerstone of preventing heart disease and goes a step further by providing practical advice based on the latest research.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can all do better with our dietary and exercise habits, and that\u2019s so important when we think about wanting to live longer and healthier lives, whether it\u2019s to see our grandchildren grow up or to stay as active as possible in older age,\u201d Blumenthal said.<\/p>\n

Some of the key lifestyle recommendations include:<\/p>\n