This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Researcher receives grant to study CVD risk in older adults
Christie Ballantyne, MD , professor of medicine and chief of cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, received a $3 million grant from the NIH to study CVD treatment and prevention in patients older than 75 years, according to a press release.
“It is an interesting paradox that there is the least amount of information available on how to treat a group of people who are at the greatest risk. In fact, the most commonly used calculator that predicts risk of a [CV] event doesn’t have results for people over the age of 80,” Ballantyne said in the release. “What is needed is a personalized approach that takes into account the different risk factors that a person in this age group might face.”
Ballantyne and colleagues will use data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study to improve the risk calculator for CVD in older populations. They will also study ways to improve risk and prevent the disease.
The ARIC study spans over 30 years and some of the participants are over 90 years old. According to the release, the long-term data will allow researchers to evaluate risk factors and treatments at different life stages.
“You don’t treat every older person simply because they are at an increased risk due to age, but you find those that have some risk factor that you might be able to improve either with medications or lifestyle modifications,” Ballantyne said. “We want to be able to more precisely say, ‘This is the person with the highest risk,’ or ‘This person is really not at great risk.’ This information will be helpful to both patients and health care professionals to determine which changes in lifestyle and medication would be beneficial to each individual.”