Positivity: Progess on Heart Disease and Cholesterol
From the Oct. 12 Wall Street Journal (requires subscription):
Studies Point to Drop In Heart Attacks, Cholesterol
In an encouraging sign for the nation’s health, there’s growing evidence that preventive medical strategies have led to declines in heart attacks and in cholesterol levels among Americans.
One important piece of evidence that preventive strategies are boosting health comes from a large, federally sponsored study. It shows that growing use of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins and modest changes in diet are contributing to a gradual reduction in harmful cholesterol levels, especially in the older population.
Moreover, a report from Solucient LLC, a health-data company in Evanston, Ill., finds that annual hospital admissions for heart attacks have fallen more than 6% since 2000. Admissions for other conditions related to coronary-artery disease are leveling off or shrinking as well.
“Bit by bit, we are seeing improvement in heart health and heart outcomes relating to a whole host of factors that is neutralizing the increase you might expect to see in the baby-boom era,” says Steven Nissen, a cardiologist and researcher at the prominent Ohio heart facility, the Cleveland Clinic.
The two studies — done separately and with different methodologies — are far from definitive and not designed to be linked. But many researchers say they offer a reasonable argument that gains are being made against the world’s
