Khaberni - A large-scale study has concluded that 99% of heart attacks and strokes are associated with four risk factors, which means it's the first attempt by scientists to list the factors that lead to these deadly diseases.
According to a report published by the American site "Science Alert", which was reviewed by "Al Arabiya Net", health data for more than 9 million adults in South Korea and the United States showed that almost everyone who suffers from heart disease and suffers from a serious cardiovascular attack has one of the four main risk factors in the period preceding the attack.
These factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar levels, and smoking.
In comparison, these factors preceded 99% of all cases of cardiovascular disease over the course of the long-term study.
Even among women under the age of sixty - who are the least likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases - more than 95% of heart attacks or strokes were linked to one of these existing risk factors.
High blood pressure was the most common factor associated with cardiovascular disease. In both the United States and South Korea, more than 93% of individuals who suffered a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure had high blood pressure beforehand. Therefore, controlling this risk factor may be essential for preventing serious cardiovascular diseases in the future.
Cardiologist Philip Greenland from Northwestern University in the US says: "We believe the study compellingly shows that exposure to one or more suboptimal risk factors prior to these cardiovascular outcomes almost guarantees 100% occurrence."
He adds: "The goal now is to work harder on finding ways to control these modifiable risk factors instead of veering off the healthy track in search of other factors that are hard to treat and not causal."
The authors note that their findings contradict recent claims that hidden cardiovascular events that occur in the absence of risk factors are on the rise, suggesting that previous studies may have misdiagnosed or overlooked risk factor levels below the clinical diagnostic threshold.
Cardiologist Neha Pagidipati from Duke University, who did not participate in the study, says that the results show the importance of managing health risks before they lead to serious, potentially fatal outcomes. She adds: "We can, and indeed must, make a better effort."
