Thanks to advances in medical treatments over the past four decades, a study from the Public Health Agency of Canada shows that fewer people are now dying of heart attacks. Many are surviving—but many are left with chronic health conditions.
“Cardiovascular disease is a major burden, both clinically and economically,” said Dr. Jafna Cox, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Outcomes and a research professor of medicine and community health and epidemiology at Dalhousie University.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Recent data suggest that cardiovascular disease rates could even be increasing among Canadians ages 35 to 64, who form the bulk of the workforce, and for whom the costs of both short- and long-term disability are the highest.
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease include smoking, obesity, high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia), high blood pressure and diabetes. Of these risk factors, the two most significant are obesity and high lipids, Cox said.
Obesity is projected to become a major cause of death worldwide, Canada included, where 26% of children and youth ages two to 17 are overweight or obese, reports the Heart & Stroke Foundation. In Canada, approximately 43% to 45% of the population, or 10 million people, have lipid levels above target levels, according to Statistics Canada.
These are some of the reasons that, despite major gains in treatment, the cardiovascular disease burden is continuing to grow. The extent to which it will increase, depends on how well the risks for cardiovascular disease can be prevented or controlled, Cox explained. “Overall, every 1% reduction in total cholesterol translates into a 2% decrease in coronary events.”
There are very good treatments available to manage cardiovascular disease, such as statins, which are highly effective at reducing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, at a low cost. However, some high-risk patients can’t control their cholesterol levels using these current therapies (statins).
“The problem is, there are people who don’t tolerate them or don’t respond to them,” Cox said, explaining that some patients need targeted therapies, such as biologics, which can do a much more dramatic job of lowering cholesterol levels.
“How well these treatments will live up to their promise remains yet to be determined, but other biological agents have proved very effective in the management of very challenging conditions.”
Medication aside, Cox added, focusing on prevention, and especially in children—for whom the establishment of optimal cardiovascular risk-avoiding behaviour will be key to their health as adults—is best of all.
“What we need to do as parents is teach children healthy habits and tastes at an early age—habits they will carry throughout life.”
All the articles from the event can be found in our special section: 2015 Calgary Drug Trends Summit Coverage.