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(Circulation. 2002;106:3140.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

A Call to Action

Robert O. Bonow, MD

From Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Ill.

Correspondence to Robert O. Bonow, MD, President, American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75231. E-mail r-bonow@northwestern.edu

Key Words: Editorials • prevention • hypertension • obesity • smoking

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the United States represents a continuing crisis of epidemic proportions, with nearly 960 000 individuals dying from heart disease and stroke each year.¹ CVD has been the leading cause of death in this country every year since 1900, with the exception of 1918, the year of the great influenza epidemic. According to the most recent statistics, if all forms of major CVD were eliminated, life expectancy would rise almost 7 years. Furthermore, although often perceived as a disease of older age, approximately 50% of CVD diagnoses and 15% of CVD deaths are in patients under 65 years of age.¹ Of greater significance, many young adults with no clinical evidence of CVD have two or more risk factors that predispose them to subsequent clinical events and death over the course of several decades.^2,3 In apparently healthy young people, these risk factors usually go unrecognized and untreated.

See p 3143

Many of these risk factors are modifiable, and compelling evidence indicates that a major proportion of the current CVD burden is either totally or partially preventable. Data from the Nurses Health Study,⁴ for example, suggest that women who maintain a desirable body weight, consume a healthy diet, exercise regularly, avoid smoking, and drink alcohol in moderation reduce their risk of CVD by 84%. Yet only 3% of the women studied followed these recommendations, which points to the need for more effective public health messages, changes in the healthcare system that promote preventive strategies, and more effective methods to . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) Final Report
Circulation 2002 106: 3143. [Extract] [Full Text]

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