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CNN Live At Daybreak

Paging Dr. Gupta: Preventable Heart Disease

Aired August 20, 2003 - 08:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Heart disease we know is the nation's No. 1 killer. There is new research out there now providing more evidence that certain risk factors play a role in the vast majority of cases, and to spot these risks will help you stay a lot more healthy down the road.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, details now on what it all means.

Sanjay, good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Yes, it's really important news. You know, there is this conventional wisdom that's been out there some time in the medical community that says about only half of people who have coronary heart disease or heart disease actually end up having any identifiable risk factor. You can imagine why that's of some concern to folks who trying to pinpoint those people who are likely to have heart disease or heart attacks later in life. If you can't figure what's causing it, how can you possibly treat it? Well, that was puzzling to a lot of doctors, so a couple of doctors decided to research this and do a large-scale research, to hundreds of thousands of patients, try to figure out are the risk factors there they think should be there that cause heart disease? The risk factors we're talking about, incidentally, there's four of them people talk about most commonly. There's diabetes, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Again, the studies actually looked at over 122,000 patients in one study, and almost 400,000 patients in another study. The question was simple. People who have heart disease, do they have one of these identifiable risk factors? And I'll tell you, we can take a look at the results of the study, but the answer is overwhelmingly, yes. In one study, 89 percent to 90 percent of heart disease patients, in fact, had at least one of the identifiable risk factors. In another study, 87 percent or more of heart disease patients also had one of these risk factors.

It went on to say that 92 percent of people who have non-fatal heart attacks, heart attacks that don't kill them, also had a risk factor, and that's in males, and 87 percent females who have non-fatal heart attacks also has the risk factor.

Bottom line, Bill, again, the question was for a long time, could a lot of heart disease actually be due to genetics? Could it be due to age, heredity, things like that? Well, in fact, according to these very large studies, 89 percent to 90 percent of the people, if you look hard enough at their heart disease, you'll find that in fact they have at least one, if not more, of these risk factors -- Bill.

HEMMER: Some of this is an absolute no-brainer to me. If you're smoking, if you have high cholesterol. If you as a patient are not aware of it and you as a doctor are not looking out for these factors, what's the use of having that relationship in the first place?

GUPTA: Well, exactly. That point that is exactly right, Bill. The point is start looking for it early. I think what happens too often, especially in this country, is these risk factors are only identified after someone already develops heart disease. Most doctors tell you, it's too late. Identify these risk factors early. Cigarette smoking is the most modifiable risk factor, probably the biggest culprit. If you can quit smoking, you'll cut down your risk of heart disease, 36 percent reduction in deaths among heart disease patients just from smoking alone.

Also, we talk about blood pressure a little bit as well. Let me just give you the numbers real quick. Below 120 is what is considered ideal blood pressure. Cholesterol below 200 is the number you're looking for as well. Look for these numbers, you'll be able to control your heart disease much better later in life -- Bill.

HEMMER: Bottom line, a good reminder. And thanks for that, Sanjay. Appreciate it, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired August 20, 2003 - 08:46   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Heart disease we know is the nation's No. 1 killer. There is new research out there now providing more evidence that certain risk factors play a role in the vast majority of cases, and to spot these risks will help you stay a lot more healthy down the road.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, details now on what it all means.

Sanjay, good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

Yes, it's really important news. You know, there is this conventional wisdom that's been out there some time in the medical community that says about only half of people who have coronary heart disease or heart disease actually end up having any identifiable risk factor. You can imagine why that's of some concern to folks who trying to pinpoint those people who are likely to have heart disease or heart attacks later in life. If you can't figure what's causing it, how can you possibly treat it? Well, that was puzzling to a lot of doctors, so a couple of doctors decided to research this and do a large-scale research, to hundreds of thousands of patients, try to figure out are the risk factors there they think should be there that cause heart disease? The risk factors we're talking about, incidentally, there's four of them people talk about most commonly. There's diabetes, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Again, the studies actually looked at over 122,000 patients in one study, and almost 400,000 patients in another study. The question was simple. People who have heart disease, do they have one of these identifiable risk factors? And I'll tell you, we can take a look at the results of the study, but the answer is overwhelmingly, yes. In one study, 89 percent to 90 percent of heart disease patients, in fact, had at least one of the identifiable risk factors. In another study, 87 percent or more of heart disease patients also had one of these risk factors.

It went on to say that 92 percent of people who have non-fatal heart attacks, heart attacks that don't kill them, also had a risk factor, and that's in males, and 87 percent females who have non-fatal heart attacks also has the risk factor.

Bottom line, Bill, again, the question was for a long time, could a lot of heart disease actually be due to genetics? Could it be due to age, heredity, things like that? Well, in fact, according to these very large studies, 89 percent to 90 percent of the people, if you look hard enough at their heart disease, you'll find that in fact they have at least one, if not more, of these risk factors -- Bill.

HEMMER: Some of this is an absolute no-brainer to me. If you're smoking, if you have high cholesterol. If you as a patient are not aware of it and you as a doctor are not looking out for these factors, what's the use of having that relationship in the first place?

GUPTA: Well, exactly. That point that is exactly right, Bill. The point is start looking for it early. I think what happens too often, especially in this country, is these risk factors are only identified after someone already develops heart disease. Most doctors tell you, it's too late. Identify these risk factors early. Cigarette smoking is the most modifiable risk factor, probably the biggest culprit. If you can quit smoking, you'll cut down your risk of heart disease, 36 percent reduction in deaths among heart disease patients just from smoking alone.

Also, we talk about blood pressure a little bit as well. Let me just give you the numbers real quick. Below 120 is what is considered ideal blood pressure. Cholesterol below 200 is the number you're looking for as well. Look for these numbers, you'll be able to control your heart disease much better later in life -- Bill.

HEMMER: Bottom line, a good reminder. And thanks for that, Sanjay. Appreciate it, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com