Guest guest Posted September 10, 2010 Report Share Posted September 10, 2010 skip to page content Select the portion of the VA web site you want to searchSearch All VA Web Pages Search Current Site Only Enter your search textButton to start search » Open Advanced Search Home Veteran Services Inside Veteran Services New to VA Benefits Booklet Benefits & Services General Benefits Information Disability Compensation Pension GI Bill Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Vet Success Dependents' Educational Assistance Survivor Benefits Home Loans Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Insurance Health & Well-Being Health Care Information A-Z Health Topic Finder My HealtheVet Refill Prescriptions Suicide Prevention PTSD Public Health Burials & Memorials Cemetery Services Burials Headstones & Markers Presidential Memorial Certificates Cemeteries Nationwide Gravesite Locator Burial Flags Burial Allowance Business Inside Business Small Business Opportunities Starting a Business VetBiz.gov Doing Business with VA Acquisitions Construction Volunteer About VA Inside the VA Secretary of VA Executive Biographies Organizations History Data and Statistics Jobs Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships VA for Kids Congressional Affairs Legislation Testimony Budget and Performance VA Plans, Budget, and Performance VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2) Performance and Accountability Report Budget Submission Recovery Act Partners State Veterans Affairs Offices Veterans Service Organizations Media Room Inside the Media Room News Releases Speeches Videos Publications National Observances Veterans Day Memorial Day Celebrating America's Freedoms Special Events Creative Arts Festival Golden Age Games Summer Sports Clinic Training–Exposure– Experience (TEE) Tournament Wheelchair Games Winter Sports Clinic Locations Hospitals and Clinics Vet Centers Regional Benefits Offices Regional Loan Centers Cemetery Locations Contact Us FAQs Ask a Question Toll Free Numbers Public and Intergovernmental Affairs International Study Led by VA-Harvard Physician Yields Insight on Risks from Fatty ArteriesSeptember 3, 2010 Printable Version Need Viewer Software? WASHINGTON – An international study of clinical data led by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-Harvard University cardiologist found that patients with deposits of fatty plaque in their arteries are at especially high risk for life-threatening cardiovascular events if they have diabetes, disease in multiple arteries or a history of heart attack or stroke. "This study was an impressive international collaboration that may hold important clinical benefits for Veterans and others with cardiovascular disease," said VA Secretary K. Shinseki. "The results, presented both in a prestigious medical journal and at a major international cardiology meeting, are likely to be of great significance to physicians—particularly cardiologists—in VA and worldwide." The findings, from a study of more than 45,000 patients in nearly 30 countries, was published online August 30 by the Journal of the American Medical Association and will appear in the journal's September 22 print edition. The results are also being presented this week at the annual meeting of the European Cardiology Society in Sweden. According to lead author Dr. Deepak Bhatt and colleagues, the findings may guide future clinical trials and help doctors decide which patients need more aggressive treatment. Bhatt is chief of cardiology at the VA Boston Healthcare System and director of the Integrated Interventional Cardiovascular Program at VA and Brigham and Women's Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The four-year study included patients who had at baseline clinical evidence of atherothrombosis—in which fatty deposits break off from artery walls to form clots—or who had risk factors for the condition. Ruptured plaque deposits can form clots that block blood flow to the heart or brain, resulting in heart attack or stroke. Depending on their medical status and history, different groups of patients in the trial were at higher or lower risk for stroke, heart attack, or cardiovascular death. On the low end of the risk scale—7 percent—were those with no diabetes and only risk factors for atherothrombosis. The risk rose to as high as 25 percent for those with clinical evidence of atherothrombosis in multiple arteries and a history of heart attack or stroke. The presence of diabetes also raised the risk considerably. "Even stable patients with a previous heart attack or stroke are at particularly high risk of recurrence if they have plaque build-up in several different arteries or if they have diabetes," said Bhatt. "These types of patients need aggressive preventive efforts to keep history from repeating itself." Knowing that "not all atherothrombosis is equal," write Bhatt and colleagues, can help doctors target therapies such as plaque-reducing and clot-busting drugs to those patients who will benefit most. VA Chief Research and Development Officer Dr. Kupersmith adds, "this study illustrates the importance of basic clinical information in determining the best care for the individual patient." # # # People wishing to receive e-mail from VA with the latest news releases and updated fact sheets can subscribe to the VA Office of Public Affairs Distribution List. Back to News Releases Index Search VA News Releases Search for: (Required) Search in: - Title Article Title & Article Sort by: - Date Title Begin Date: (Required) (mm/dd/yyyy) End Date: (mm/dd/yyyy) VA Home | Privacy Policy | FOIA | Web Policies | No FEAR Act Data | Site Index | USA.gov | White House | National Resource Directory | Inspector General U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - 810 Vermont Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20420 Reviewed/Updated Date: September 3, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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