Never have a heart attack or stroke.

This is a realistic goal for the vast majority of Americans. The cause of heart attack and stroke is now well understood and it is the same disease process for both heart attack and stroke - the build up of cholesterol plaques, their subsequent rupture and clot formation. This results in more deaths and disabilities in the US and creates a  huge economic burden estimated at $500,000,000,000 annually.

Heart attack and stroke are now considered largely preventable. At NJ Preventive Cardiology, we are preventing most of them since 2001.

 

Not all risk factors are created equal.

All risk factors contribute to the development of heart attack and stroke, but they are not equal. They can be classified into three basis categories - those that can not be changed, those that the patient can change and those the a physician can change by medical treatment.

Not enough is being done to save more lives and prevent more disabilities from preventable heart attacks and strokes. Millions are undiagnosed. Many more are untreated and inadequately treatment.

There are probably over 40 million Americans at high risk for heart attack and stroke who are eligible and will benefit from optimal cholesterol therapy.

 

Cholesterol treatment is cost effective (even more so) compared to other preventive therapies that are already widely used.

It is estimated that to save one death from breast cancer in 14 years, 1,592 women over age 50 need to undergo routine mammography.

 

For patient with heart disease, as few as 10 patients need to be treated with statin for 5 years to prevent one serious event (heart attack, stroke or cardiac death). Generic statins are now available for as little as 10% of the cost of the brand name drug! For patients at high risk but do no have heart disease yet, the number needed to treat is higher but still low compared to other types of preventive treatment.

 

What we afford not to prevent more heart attack and stroke?