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Flash: A groundbreaking new study is encouraging news for older Americans.
Since the mid-1990s, the number of seniors who have suffered a heart attack or died has dropped dramatically, proving that campaigns to prevent heart attacks and improve patient care are paying off, said researchers from Yale University.
The study of more than 4 million Medicare patients revealed that hospitalizations for heart attack had dropped by 38 between 1995 and 2014. At the same time, the number of deaths occurring within 30 days following a heart attack has reached its lowest level. or 12%, a decrease of more than 33% since 1995.
"These are really incredible advances," said lead researcher Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a professor of cardiology.
The study focused on Medicare patients, since people aged 65 and older have the highest risk of heart attack and account for up to two-thirds of them, has not it? -he declares.
The recovery is a result of significant efforts to change people's lives to reduce heart attacks, as well as to improve care so that more patients can survive, said Dr. Krumholz.
Since the 1990s, the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Cardiology and other organizations have focused on prevention.
Efforts focused on lifestyle changes, including the adoption of healthy eating habits and physical exercise. They also helped patients reduce their blood pressure and cholesterol, two key factors in heart attack.
Hospital care is also better than in the 1990s, said Dr. Krumholz. Patients who arrive at the hospital with a heart attack are now being treated in minutes, using procedures to open blocked arteries, rather than the hours it took before, he noted.
And more and more patients are leaving the hospital with prescriptions for drugs for hypertension, aspirin and statins, which help prevent recurrence of a heart attack.
Although the costs badociated with heart attacks have increased, their prevention and improved survival ultimately save money on other health care costs, added Dr. Krumholz.
But the picture is not quite rosy.
Some places have seen little or no change in heart attacks since the 1990s. These areas require special attention to improve care, said Dr. Krumholz.
In addition, the epidemic of obesity, coupled with the resulting increase in type 2 diabetes, threatens to undermine reported gains, he added. Obesity and diabetes are the main risk factors for heart attacks, elevated blood pressure and blood vessel damage.
"This is not the time to rest on our laurels or rest on our laurels," said Krumholz. "We think there are still possible improvements. We would like to see heart attacks relegated to the history of medicine. "
Dr. John Osborne, volunteer expert with the American Heart Association, agrees.
"It's wonderful to celebrate these advances, but a person on American soil dies from cardiovascular disease every 38 seconds, and continues to be the deadliest among Americans," he said. . "[These are] remarkable progress in the war against heart disease, but our war is not over yet.
AHA spokesman Dr. Gregg Fonarow said there is still a lot of work to be done.
"The majority of myocardial infarctions [heart attacks] Persistent problems could be avoided through better implementation of evidence-based primary and secondary prevention strategies, "said Dr. Fonarow.
The report was published online March 15 in the JAMA Network Open.
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