Heart treatment warning
May 2, 2016
A STUDY published today in
the Medical Journal of Australia
has found that almost one
million Australians at high risk
of heart attack or stroke in the
next five years are not receiving
the currently recommended
combination of medications.
The research, led by ANU’s
Professor Emily Banks, has
concluded that tens of thousands
of Australian lives could be saved
if people aged 45 or over had a full
risk assessment, and those at high
risk took the recommended mix
of blood pressure and cholesterol
lowering medicines.
“Australia has a massive
opportunity to prevent heart
attacks and strokes,” Banks said.
The study is the first to quantify
the risk of cardiovascular disease
for Australians, and found about
20% of the population aged 45
to 74 is at high risk based on
factors including their age and sex,
whether they smoke, their blood
pressure, whether or not they have
diabetes and their level of kidney
function.
The Heart Foundation’s chief
medical advisor Professor Garry
Jennings said the findings were a
wake-up call for the community,
health professionals and
government about the “huge
number at risk and missing out on
life-saving checks”.
The ANU research was conducted
in collaboration with the Australian
Bureau of Statistics, using data
from the 2011-12 National Health
Measures survey.
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