Reduce the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

Editor’s Note: Link to video at: http://youtu.be/mciFcu036ks.

Newswise — New Brunswick, NJ -- During Heart Month, the Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is promoting the importance of controlling high blood pressure, also called hypertension, in order to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and other related chronic disorders in adults. John B. Kostis, MD, a cardiologist and director of the Cardiovascular Institute, encourages men and women who may be at risk for high blood pressure to follow a healthy lifestyle and speak with their physician who can recommend antihypertensive treatment that provides protection against major cardiovascular-related events, such as heart attack and stroke.

“Changes in blood pressure are part of the aging process,” says Dr. Kostis. “Although there are differences in cardiovascular risks between men and women, there is no difference in the response to treatment of hypertension with blood pressure-lowering medication, or high cholesterol with statins. Therefore these therapies should be used to reach target blood pressure, or cholesterol levels, respectively, to reduce risks of heart disease and improve long-term health regardless of gender.”

According to Kostis, systolic pressure, measured while the heart is pumping, increases with age, while diastolic pressure, measured while the heart is at rest, steadily increases until around age 50 and then begins to steadily decrease. Generally, most persons up to age 80 should have a target blood pressure of 140 systolic pressure over 90 diastolic, while the target blood pressure for adults over the age of 80, who are in good health, is 150 over 90.

Although a change in blood pressure is true for both men and women, women experience a somewhat steeper rate of increase in systolic pressure between 40 and 60 years of age. However, Kostis emphasizes that men and women respond the same to antihypertensive treatment and benefit long-term from its protective properties.

“In addition to following a healthy lifestyle, adhering to physician-prescribed medication to lower blood pressure and cholesterol has been shown to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack, and extend people’s lives,” says Kostis. A healthy lifestyle includes avoidance of smoking, maintaining normal body weight and engaging in physical activity.

Kostis adds that younger adults who avoid tobacco use and follow a healthy lifestyle with low-fat, low-sodium diets and regular physical activity, may delay the onset of hypertension.

Kostis discusses the importance of treating hypertension and addresses the difference in cardiovascular health between men and women in a new video posted on Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Youtube page at: http://youtu.be/mciFcu036ks.

About Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolAs one of the nation's leading comprehensive medical schools, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school's principal affiliate, they comprise New Jersey's premier academic medical center. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 20 basic science and clinical departments, and hosts centers and institutes including the Cardiovascular Institute, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, visit rwjms.rutgers.edu. Find us online at facebook.com/RWJMedicalSchool and twitter.com/RWJMS.