Family history is one contributing factor to determining a predisposition to disease. Genetic testing and evaluation is a real possibilty in determining one's liklihood of developing certain illnesses, but comes with ethical, legal and moral challenges. In a recent issue of the AHA journal Circulation, the authors (led by E. Ashley et.al.,) examine the landscape of this new realm and its potential to impact cardiovascular disease treatment and research.
Preventing heart disease before it starts is a good long-term investment in the health of our nation. A new policy statement, points out the cost-effectiveness and value of community-based changes to make it easier to live a healthy lifestyle. The call to action puts an equal amount of responsibility on individuals and on society — specifically federal, state and local policy-makers.
The AHA supports a multi-pronged approach to address the nation’s obesity epidemic which includes creating policies that improve access and affordability of healthy foods to all people. The AHA also considers the concept of pricing less healthy foods and beverages higher to discourage consumption as a possible policy alternative (for example, a sugar sweetened beverage tax) that would require additional surveillance to evaluate the long-term impact. The AHA's updated policy statement on this issue is now available.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the US and is responsible for 17% of national health expenditures. As the population ages, these costs are expected to increase substantially. In the model created to project the future costs of CVD, it is estimated that without any type of system-wide intervention, the total direct costs of CVD will triple over the next 20 years, and the the total indirect medical costs (lost work hours, wages, etc) will rise 61%, to $273 billion. Further information can be found in the complete policy statement.
