Risk Factors Worsening for Adults With Cardiovascular Disease

TUESDAY, Aug. 9, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD), risk factors have worsened over time, according to a study published in the July 12 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Yumin Gao, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional analysis involving 6,335 adults with self-reported CVD participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 through 2018 to examine trends in risk profiles.

The researchers found that from 1999-2002 to 2015-2018, there was a worsening in the proportion with ideal hemoglobin A1c and body mass index from 58.7 to 52.4 percent and from 23.9 to 18.2 percent, respectively. After an initial improvement, there was a decrease in the proportion with blood pressure <130/80 mm Hg from 52.1 percent in 2007-2010 to 48.6 percent in 2015-2018. From 1999-2002 to 2015-2018, the proportion with non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels <100 mg/dL increased from 7.3 to 30.3 percent. Over time, there was no change seen in the proportions with ideal smoking, physical activity, and diet profiles; in 2015 to 2018, these proportions were 77.8, 22.4, and 1.3 percent, respectively. Worsening trends were seen in Hispanic and Black adults for cholesterol and smoking, respectively. Persistently lower ideal risk factor attainment was seen for blood pressure and hemoglobin A1c levels for Black and Asian adults versus Whites.

"Our health system needs to improve in an optimal way to deliver preventive care as patients navigate the transition from the hospital to the home, and then long-term chronic care," a coauthor said in a statement.

One author disclosed financial ties to the medical technology industry.

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