Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Elderly Normolipidaemic Acute Myocardial Infarct Patients

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, and include coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease (stroke), raised blood pressure (hypertension), peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure. According to the World Health Organization, CVD are the number one cause of death globally and claim 17 million lives each year. By 2030, almost 24 million people will die from CVD, mainly from heart disease and stroke. These are projected to remain the single leading causes of death (World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs 317/en/index.html). In the United States, CVD account for more than one-third (34.3%) of deaths annually, and responsible for nearly 3 million Americans reporting disability. The costs of CVD are also staggering. In 2010, the total cost including health care services, medications and lost productivity, is estimated to be over $503 billion in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Addressing the nation’s leading killers: at a glance 2010. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/dhdsp.htm). Similarly, the National Heart Foundation of Australia reported that CVD are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Australia, killing one person nearly every 10 minutes (National Heart Foundation of Australia. Data and statistics. Available from: http:// www.heartfoundation.org.au/information-for-professionals/data-and-statistics). Despite improvements over the last few decades, CVD remain as the second largest disease burden to our society after cancers. As the population ages, the economic impact of CVD on the health care system will become even greater. Tobacco smoking, an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and high alcohol consumption increase the risk of CVD. Indeed, behavioral and dietary risk factors are responsible for about 80% of coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease (World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs317/en/index.html).