Just 1 in 3 US Patients Has Control of Blood pressure and Cholesterol

Less than one in three patients in the US have their blood-pressure and cholesterol levels under control, according to a new analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES)[1]. Researchers say there exist significant opportunities for reaching national coronary heart disease prevention goals by improving hypertension and cholesterol control.

“It’s been known for many years that people with high blood pressure have about double the risk of coronary heart disease, but treating hypertension with the usual ways we go about it reduces heart attack risk by about 25%,” lead investigator Dr Brent Egan (Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston) told heartwire . “So that leaves a lot of residual risk. While it’s been known that treating multiple risk factors is more beneficial than treating any one risk factor alone, I think it might be underappreciated in terms of how important it is to treat and control both high blood pressure and cholesterol.”

In the study, published online July 1, 2013 in Circulation, the researchers assessed concurrent hypertension and hypercholesterolemia control in NHANES 1988 to 1994, 1999 to 2004, and 2005 to 2010.

Dr. Lane’s take on this: Please read this statement from NHANES carefully and understand that they are not talking about people with a problem with either cholesterol or blood pressure, they are discussing ALL U.S. PATIENTS.  All patients who are in the US health care system, no matter the actual diagnosis of their condition (which may or may not actually involve either blood pressure or cholesterol) has any control over it.  This can have a very big impact on health and longevity.

via Blogger http://bit.ly/26o6lYm