March 20, 2009 – The pharmaceutical industry that develops drugs for cardiovascular disease is swimming against the tide, according to the results of the EUROASPIRE longitudinal study, carried out in eight European countries.
Between 1995-1996 and 2006-2007, more than 8,000 patients with heart disease were surveyed six months after suffering from illness or surgery. Researchers at Imperial College London found that the number of patients taking cholesterol medications jumped 54%. However, 46% of the patients surveyed still suffered from excess cholesterol. Prescriptions for blood pressure medications have also increased, but over 60% of patients reported having too high blood pressure.
Are the drugs ineffective? The researchers, whose research was funded by the pharmaceutical industry, instead point the finger at the bad lifestyles that are said to be more and more widespread. Between 1995-1996 and 2006-2007, the proportion of obese patients increased from 25% to 38%, highlights the study published in The Lancet. The proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes jumped from 17% to 28%.
Towards a reduction in life expectancy
North America is no exception to the trend, on the contrary. A change is needed in the way cardiovascular disease is treated, says Dr.r Paul Poirier, cardiologist at the University Institute of Cardiology and Pulmonology at Hôpital Laval, Quebec, and chair of the obesity committee of the American Heart Association.
“We’re heading straight for a wall. For the first time in history, some studies suggest a decrease in life expectancy in North America, due to the obesity epidemic, ”says Dr.r Pear tree. He believes doctors still put too little emphasis on the importance of maintaining a healthy weight to their patients. The Canadian government also has a role to play, by banning trans fats from the diet, he adds.
Among his own patients, he begins to perceive a timid change in attitude towards nutrition. Eating healthy seems to be more popular. Quebec would be a distinct society in this regard. “In the United States and Canada, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer. In Quebec, it comes second, behind cancer. It is not clear why, however. Are there more cancers in our country, we have less heart disease? We still lack figures to show it clearly. “
Dominique Forget – PasseportSanté.net
1. Kotseva K, Wood D, De Backer G et al. Cardiovascular prevention guidelines in daily practice: a comparison of EUROASPIRE I, II, and III surveys in eight European countries, Lancet. 2009 Mar 14; 373 (9667): 929-40.
