30 percent risk of heart attack in Australians over 55

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMay 18 2010

According to a new study researchers have warned that at least one in five Australians over the age of 55 have a 30 percent chance of suffering a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke in the next five years.

There are a sizable 1.1 million people over 55 in Australia. A further 1.5 million face a 15 percent risk of getting a heart attack or stroke says the study. This Generation Risk report conducted by Access Economics says that over 55 Australians have a higher risk based on factors like high blood pressure, being overweight or smoking.

Access Economics director Lynne Pezzullo says, “Smoking as a risk factor is declining, which is a great thing, but there are still areas such as physical inactivity, being overweight or obese and increasing levels of diabetes which are of great concern in the future as our population ages.” She also went on to say that a whopping 80 percent of the population when given medications to prevent a heart attack or stroke discontinue the drugs on their own within two-and-a-half years. “Without that medication and lifestyle changes the numbers of catastrophic heart attacks and strokes will increase…So a key message is get into preventative health, get physically active and stay on the medication as your doctor prescribes,” she said.

Murray Esler, a cardiologist at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute and an expert adviser on the Access Economics report, echoed these results saying, “…the report shows that one in five people stop taking blood pressure medications after just one month, and 80 per cent stop taking these medications after 30 months.”