Rolling dice on heart disease, strokes

By MARTIN JOHNSTON

To take some of the gamble out of life, men should start having their heart disease and stroke "odds" calculated from the age of 45, a guideline urges.

Women should generally try to do the same at 55.

And Maori, Pacific Islanders and Indians are urged to have a comprehensive check 10 years earlier, as is anyone with known heart and stroke risks such as smoking, having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar levels or diabetes.

Cardiovascular disease, mainly heart disease and stroke, accounts for 40 per cent of all deaths in New Zealand and Maori are at greater risk than Pakeha.

The national guideline, issued yesterday, aims to help general practitioners and nurses work out a patient's percentage risk of having a cardiovascular "event", such as a heart attack, stroke or angina, within the following five years.

The recommended management starts with general advice on healthy eating, exercise and not smoking plus a further check in five to 10 years for those judged at less than 10 per cent risk of suffering an event within five years.

Those carrying a risk of more than 20 per cent would be offered intensive lifestyle advice, drug treatment and follow-up monitoring.