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Goal: Affinity is
seeking projects that aim to improve the detection,
treatment and management of hypertension
and/or cholesterol.
Overview: Hypertension and high blood cholesterol
are pervasive in this country. Each is a major risk
factor for cardiovascular disease (heart attack and
stroke), the leading cause of death and disability in
both men and women. There is a large number of people in
this country who have both hypertension and high
cholesterol. While these conditions are preventable or
controllable with lifestyle changes and / or
medications, many people today do not have their blood
pressure and cholesterol levels under control. A report
from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) indicates that almost 40% of people recently
surveyed have two or more risk factors for heart disease
and stroke. The survey also showed that certain racial /
ethnic and socioeconomic groups are disproportionately
affected.
Nearly one in three people
in this country have high blood pressure (hypertension),
placing them at a much increased risk for heart attack,
stroke, congestive heart failure and |
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kidney damage. Hypertension is more
likely to develop as people get older, and it is most
prevalent in African-Americans, who tend to get
hypertension at a younger age and have a higher death
rate from its consequences than other groups. Statistics
also show that many people do not know they have
hypertension or do not have it under control, even
though it can be easily managed.
Untreated high blood cholesterol is also strongly
associated with heart attack and stroke risk; generally,
the higher the number, the greater the risk. Current
guidelines from the major health organizations emphasize
that everyone age 20 and older should be tested
regularly for high blood cholesterol. According to a
large study published by the American Heart Association,
elevated cholesterol is a risk factor for stroke death
in younger women, particularly African-American women
with no history of cardiovascular disease.
Modifiable risk factors for heart disease and stroke
include not only high blood pressure and cholesterol,
but also diabetes, tobacco use, obesity and the lack of
exercise. A 2003 CDC study using data from the
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
showed that 37% of the population studied had two or
more risk factors for heart disease and stroke and that
considerable disparity in risk factors existed among
socioeconomic groups and racial / ethnic populations.
This and other work has led to these factors being the
main targets for primary and secondary prevention of
heart disease and stroke, with the CDC calling for
public health programs to improve identification of
persons with multiple risk factors and focus
interventions on those populations disproportionately
affected.
Many people today are benefiting from important research
in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular
disease and its risk factors. Updated guidelines from
the National Institutes for Health enable physicians to
detect and treat hypertension and high cholesterol
successfully, and thereby reduce the risk for heart
attack and stroke. Daily physical exercise and a healthy
diet that is high in fruits / vegetables and low in fat
/ salt / sugar are widely-endorsed prevention and
treatment strategies. When medication is indicated to
lower blood pressure and cholesterol, there are safe and
effective treatments available.
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