Healthnotes Newswire — Efforts to address heart disease risk factors in survivors of heart attacks or strokes are inadequate, according to a study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine.¹

In the new report, researchers analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), currently the largest ongoing study of American health habits and risks. The new study analyzed a total of 1,252 survivors of heart attack, stroke, or both, to see how well they were modifying their risk of a second cardiovascular event. The results were alarming.

Over half of the participants with hypertension had inadequately controlled blood pressure (greater than 140/90 millimeters of mercury on a blood pressure gauge from three consecutive readings). Nearly half of those with diabetes exhibited poor control of their condition, as determined by a test that measures damage done to proteins in the blood and tissues caused by excess blood sugar. In addition, 46% of those with a history of high cholesterol had unacceptably high levels (greater than 240 mg/dl) at the time of the study. High blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol are all risk factors for heart attack and stroke.

Compliance with well-accepted dietary recommendations for heart disease risk reduction was poor too, with roughly half of subjects exceeding recommended intake of total fat and saturated fat. Eighteen percent of study subjects continued to smoke after their heart attack or stroke.

The problem identified in this study does not appear to be due to poor access to medical care, as nearly 90% of these participants had seen a doctor or other health professional in the last six months. The authors of the study warn that unless healthcare providers can do a better job of addressing risk factors in survivors of heart attacks and strokes, cardiovascular disease incidence will continue to be high. They stress that preventative treatment has especially failed adults between 46 and 65 years of age, particularly African-Americans and women.