| Tuesday, May 23, 2006 |
| NEW ADVICE FOR AVOIDING 2ND HEART ATTACK |
'REALLY IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATION': MORE STATIN DRUGS.
More agressive treatment can help many heart patients to avoid second heart attacks and strokes, according to new guidelines issued by the country's two leading heart groups and endorsed by hte National Heart,Lung, and Blood Institute.
The groups are calling for more routine use of high-potency satin drugs to lower "bad cholesterol" -- low density lipoprotein, or LDL. They also recommend expanding the use of other drugs that lower blood pressure and ease the heart's workload and, for the first time, urge all chronic heart-disease patients to get seasonal flu shots.
"That's a really important, major new recommendation", said Dr. Sidney smith of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who chaired the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology panel that issued the guidelines.
20 Million People
Because recent studies also show lower aspirin doses are just as effective forprevention as higher ones, the guidelines recommend dropping daily doses to bewtween 75 milligrams a day and 162 milligrams, except for people who have had heart-bypass surgery. Bypass patients fare best on 100 to 300 milligrams a day for up to a year.
The new guidelines could affect as many as 26 million Americans according to Smith.
'We've got the proof'
The guidelines don't address what to do for people who don't yet have heart disease, because it's so difficult to prove what works for them.
"If you're 30 years old and your LDL, cholesterol is a little high, common sense would tell you that it might be good to treat it, but we don't know because the evidence isn't in." said Dr. Robert Califf, director of the Duke University Clinical Research Institute, who was not part of the group issuing the recommendation. "If you're 70 years old and you've got a high LDL and you've already had a heart attack, your risk is something bad happening is so high, aggressive treatment makes sense. We've got the proof".
(Source: CHICSUNTIMES by: Garrett News Service by: Steve Sternberg)
NEW HEART GUIDELINES:
New Guidelines to avoid having a second heart attack set targets for six key risk factors:
+ ELIMINATE CIGARETTE SMOKE, including secondhand exposure.
+ LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE to 140/90 in most heart patients and 130/80 in patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
+ LOWER LDL (bad cholesterol) to less than 100 milligrams per deciliter of blood - or aim even lower, to 70 mg/deciliter.
+ BOOST EXERCISE LEVELS to 30 to 60 minutes seven days a week, up from 30 minutes three to four days a week.
+ SHRINK WAISTLINES, for men to less than 40 inches and women to less than 35 inches.
+ IF YOU HAVE DIABETES, keep your average blood sugar level to 7 percent or below.
(SOURCE: AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY) |
| posted by infraternam meam @ 1:16 PM |
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