The American Heart Association (AHA) noted earlier this month that more than 184 million people—about 61% of U.S. By 2050, it is projected that adults will have cardiovascular disease of some form. As a result, the costs associated with heart disease will quadruple.
Using this figure as a springboard, Time senior health journalist Alice Park spoke with cardiologist Kiran Musunuru, AHA CEO Nancy Brown, and Andres Acosta on the future of healthcare, associate professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, for a Tuesday TIME 100 Health panel in New York. AHA funded the event, which fits the TIME100 Talks programme. The TIME100 Health list features the most powerful figures in the worldwide health sector.
Since 1950, the top killer among Americans has been heart disease. Brown, who has been AHA’s CEO since 2008, remarked on the “staggering” number of Americans living with heart disease risk and the consequent financial impact. She added part of the problem is the unequal access to socioeconomic determinants of health such a living pay and good food as well as to healthcare. Another problem, though, is the way the American healthcare system treats these kinds of ailments.
I believe that treating disorders takes front stage in this nation. Brown remarked but we’re not giving enough attention to early in life understanding of the power of things that change people’s life and prevention of such issues. You know, eighty percent of cardiovascular disease can be avoided. According to Musunuru, a professor of genetics and cardiovascular medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, environmental or lifestyle variables account for around half of the causes of cardiovascular disease, while genetics accounts for the other half.
Reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease can be achieved with regard to cholesterol levels, blood pressure, even obesity. He remarked that the difficulty is that risk variables evolve with time. Furthermore, the present healthcare system of the nation tries to handle chronic diseases with continuous treatment. Although that strategy has advantages, Musunuru pointed out it has “an outsized burden” on patients.
Starting at an early age, like we do with vaccinations to prevent infectious diseases, he recommended the healthcare system concentrate on avoiding chronic diseases.
Heart disease cannot be completely eliminated, but you can postpone heart attacks and strokes for decades. Musunuru continued. Perhaps you die from it at age 100 and have 40 years of life you might not have otherwise had, rather than having a severe heart attack at age 60. Acosta, who oversees the Precision Medicine for Obesity Programme at Mayo Clinic and the Nutrition Obesity Research Programme, spoke on how some treatments might also lower the risk of other diseases.
One of the main risk factors for heart disease is obesity, for example; weight loss medications like Wegovy and Zepbound are significantly helping to treat it. AHA earlier said that compared to those on a placebo, those on Wegovy cut their risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease by 20%. According to Acosta, this research signalled a “new era” in the management of obesity and cardiovascular disease and was a “game changer.”
The panellists also stressed the value of genetic testing. Brown added that few people have their genes examined; hence, the AHA’s top focus is motivating individuals to do so. Musunuru seeks to find genetic elements that guard against heart disease and investigates its causes. Having genetic information, he added, can enable individuals to take a “proactive” attitude to their health and assist doctors know early on what patients’ risks are for acquiring particular diseases.
The day you are born and the day you die have the same genes. According to Musunuru, it is possible to predict how your life will unfold by understanding the makeup of your DNA at birth. American Heart Association hosted Time 100 Talks: Reimagining the Future of Healthcare.