Call for cardiovascular health checks
Four leading health charities have today called for the implementation of a national program of regular cardiovascular health checks, saying it could prevent thousands of premature deaths and ease pressure on hospitals by better identifying people at high risk of developing disease and ensuring they received the needed treatment and on-going care.
The Heart Foundation, National Stroke Foundation, Diabetes Australia and Kidney Health Australia were responding to a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia that found many general practice patients at high risk of suffering cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, were not receiving adequate medical treatment.
The study, by Dr Ruth Webster, of the George Institute and colleagues analysed data from 2,600 adult patients who presented to GPs over a five week period in 2006. The data showed that:
- 71% of patients eligible under clinical guidelines for lipid screening were either not recognised as needing to be screened, were not prescribed appropriate medicines, or, once prescribed, were not attaining recommended targets.
- Fewer than half of those patients with established cardiovascular disease were being prescribed the recommended combination of antihypertensive statin and antiplatelet medications.
- Of those at high risk who had not yet experienced a cardiovascular event, about a third were taking no medications to modify their risk, and fewer than a quarter were prescribed the recommended combination of antihypertensive and statin medications.
Dr Erin Lalor, National Stroke Foundation CEO and Chair of the National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance (Heart Stroke, Diabetes and Kidney NGOs), said that absolute risk assessment was used by general practitioners in a number of other countries, including the New Zealand, the UK and other European nations, to identify people at risk and provide the appropriate interventions.
“Absolute risk assessments should start at 45 years or older, or from 35 years for Indigenous Australians, and should be repeated every five years,” Dr Lalor said.
“The Australian Government should support implementation of a cardiovascular health check now that we have an Australian guideline.
“The UK has introduced a similar ‘vascular’ health check after vigorous economic analysis found it to be highly cost effective.
“The UK Government estimates that its new vascular risk check program has the potential to prevent:
- at least 9,500 heart attacks and strokes a year (2,000 of which would be fatal);
- prevent at least 4,000 people a year from developing diabetes; and
- detect at least 25,000 people a year earlier with diabetes or kidney disease.
“We would expect a cardiovascular health check program in Australia to deliver similar benefits.
“And that means earlier intervention, better care, fewer hospital admissions, a more effective use of resources and – most importantly, longer, healthier lives for Australians.
“It would deliver on all of the Australian Government’s national health reform priorities,” Dr Lalor said.
