Circulation<\/em>. \u201cThis tells us that better health care access, preventive measures, smoking cessation and better treatment of high blood pressure and cholesterol may be helpful in lowering the lifetime probability of developing a heart attack or a stroke.\u201d<\/p>\nThe other success story is \u201cwe are postponing the onset of heart attacks and strokes by as much as a decade. We\u2019re increasing the period of living with good health,\u201d said Ramachandran, chief of preventive medicine and epidemiology at BU\u2019s schools of Medicine and Public Health.<\/p>\n
With the pandemic easing up, people who haven\u2019t seen a doctor in awhile should schedule an exam and have their blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checked, he said. \u201cThe findings show us that the benefits of prevention, screening and proper treatment accrue. If you do these things in middle age, you\u2019re rewarded with healthy life years later.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the study was limited by its focus on a largely white population in the northeastern U.S., and future studies are needed in more diverse populations living in different areas.<\/p>\n
Ramachandran also called for further research into gender differences since the findings for the most recent time period showed remaining lifetime risk of coronary heart disease was higher in men, but with stroke, it was higher in women.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a deeper dive and a deeper understanding of why this might be the case,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Monica Serra, who was not involved in the study, said new research is needed to see if rising rates of obesity and diabetes \u201cwill counteract the gains observed from our current medical and technological advancements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the progress shown in the study, the overall risk of cardiovascular disease remains high, \u201chighlighting the need for continued screening and primary prevention efforts, as well as identification of more effective and widely accessible screening and treatment options,\u201d said Serra, an associate professor and research health scientist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Even with medical advancements and better treatments, it\u2019s important for people to take charge of their own heart health, Serra said.<\/p>\n
They can do that by adopting a healthier lifestyle earlier in life and being aware of their heart disease and stroke risks, \u201cparticularly those that are modifiable \u2013 blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes control, and smoking reduction.\u201d<\/p>\n
By Thor Christensen.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Better prevention, screening and treatment has led to long-term progress in fighting heart disease and stroke, according to a new analysis from the Framingham Heart Study.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":903,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[91,90],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103650"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/903"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103650"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103654,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103650\/revisions\/103654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Framingham](\"\/camed\/files\/2015\/07\/framingham-heart-study-e1457105820923.jpg\")
People taking part in the historic Framingham Heart Study are living longer and with less risk of having a heart attack, stroke or dying from coronary heart disease, according to a new analysis that underscores the power of prevention, screening and treatment efforts.<\/p>\n![\"headshot](\"\/camed\/files\/2015\/06\/Vasan-Ramachandran-2.jpg\")
\u201cIt\u2019s a very strong message of prevention and hope,\u201d said Vasan Ramachandran, MD, lead author of the study published Monday in the AHA journal Circulation<\/em>. \u201cThis tells us that better health care access, preventive measures, smoking cessation and better treatment of high blood pressure and cholesterol may be helpful in lowering the lifetime probability of developing a heart attack or a stroke.\u201d<\/p>\n