Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Cholesterol Guidelines Call On Doctors To Tailor Treatments To Manage Risk For Each Individual Patient
Reuters: New Drug Options, Risk Factors Added To U.S. Heart Guidelines
Updated U.S. guidelines on heart health advise more personalized assessment of risk as well as two newer types of cholesterol-lowering drugs for people at particularly high risk of heart attack or stroke. The recommendations from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, last issued in 2013, acknowledge recent research showing the benefit of very low levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol, which contributes to fatty plaque buildup and narrowing of arteries. (Beasley, 11/10)
The Washington Post: New Cholesterol Management Guidelines Call For Personalized Risk Assessments
The recommendations build on and address criticism of guidelines issued in 2013 that fundamentally altered the way health-care providers determine a patient’s risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease. In that watershed document, the experts told doctors to stop trying to lower patients’ cholesterol numbers to specific targets and instead follow an overall matrix that attempts to predict their future risk of problems. The latest guidelines give clinicians a better idea of how to do that via treatment categories that vary depending on cholesterol scores and, if necessary, other tests. The 121-page document was unveiled Saturday at the American Heart Association’s 2018 Scientific Sessions in Chicago and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and the heart association’s journal, Circulation. (Bernstein, 11/10)
The Wall Street Journal: New Guidelines For Treating High Cholesterol Take A Personal Approach
“Risk is more of a process than a calculation,” said Donald Lloyd-Jones, chair of the department of preventive medicine at Northwestern University and a member of the panel that wrote the guidelines. “We can help personalize the decision. ”Nearly one in every three American adults has high levels of LDL, the AHA says, which contributes to buildup of fatty plaque and narrowing of the arteries. Research shows that people with LDL of 100 or lower have lower rates of heart disease and stroke, according to the AHA. (McKay, 11/10)
Los Angeles Times: With Better Drugs For High Cholesterol, Doctors Become More Ambitious With Their Treatment Goals
When recommending the more aggressive treatment of those who are at highest risk of heart attacks and strokes, “it helps patients and providers when you give them numbers and targets,” Nissen said. “Because if you’re constantly checking, you keep patients staying focused on compliance, what it takes to stay healthy.” Nearly 800,000 people die of heart attacks, strokes and other manifestations of cardiovascular disease in the United States each year, making it the country’s leading cause of death. But while 78 million Americans — close to 37% of the adult population — either take or should consider taking medication to lower their cholesterol, close to half don’t do so. (Healy, 11/10)
And in other heart-health news —
The New York Times: Too Much Caffeine May Stress The Heart
As my brother neared the end of a smooth, swift recovery from open-heart surgery to bypass an 80-percent blockage in his heart’s most important artery recently, he reverted to a longstanding habit of downing many cups a day of strong coffee. I objected, but he insisted that the caffeine doesn’t affect him, meaning it doesn’t disturb his sleep. (Brody, 11/12)
