Cardiovascular Risk

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Since the 90s, cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death in different countries.

The tip of the iceberg of this disease has always been treated, focusing already on the consequences of it, as it is a heart attack. The management of associated risk factors is more important every day. Treating the consequences of cardiovascular disease is very expensive, compared to the impact obtained with long-term preventive measures.

The cardiovascular risk is a measurement, which defines the probability of developing cardiovascular disease in a defined period and this is done to patients with risk factors of developing a cardiovascular event, such as acute myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident (stroke), sudden death and peripheral arterial disease, in a period of 10 years. This measurement is reported as a percentage and it is considered that any person with a cardiovascular risk greater than 7.5% at 10 years, is at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

To obtain the cardiovascular risk, the following are taken into account: the patient’s age, sex, ethnicity, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, if he is diabetic, if he is or was a smoker, if he is taking medication for blood pressure and / or statins, and if you take aspirin. With this information the American College of Cardiology defined according to epidemiological studies, the level of cardiovascular risk of patients this allows an early and comprehensive intervention of diseases that are chronic and with predictions of outcomes that can be serious for the patient.

These indexes improve the relationship between patient-doctor and also allow early readjustment of patients’ habits and improve their quality of life.

There are multiple causes of cardiovascular disease. It is estimated that 64% of the population in general, can have 3 or more modifiable risk factors. Approximately 90% of myocardial infarctions worldwide can be caused by abnormalities of lipid levels, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, abdominal obesity, psychosocial factors, physical inactivity and low diets. fruits and vegetables.

As this disease is a preventable entity, more and more international guidelines are directed towards the aggressive and timely intervention of modifiable risk factors and the development of effective changes at the level of healthy lifestyle (axis: weight management, suspension of smoked, increased physical activity) and pharmacological intervention (eg drugs for high blood pressure and to lower lipids).

With the increase in age, it also becomes more evident that cardiovascular risk increases, which is why the detection and rapid intervention of these factors becomes indispensable.

Individual risk factors such as high blood pressure and lipid levels have been continually related to the development of cardiovascular disease. For this reason, a moderate intervention in several risk factors may have a greater impact on the decrease in the development of cardiovascular disease; that simply make an intervention of a single risk factor.

To achieve impact on the quality of life of patients and their prevention of cardiovascular disease in the long term, it is required: greater communication and comprehensive treatment between doctor-patient, a real commitment of the patient and timely treatment over time of your risk factors