Revolutionizing Heart Health: The SCAPIS Study Aims to Prevent Heart Attacks
Every year, around 8000 individuals under the age of 70 experience their first heart attack, leading to the tragic loss of over 1000 lives. This alarming statistic has prompted healthcare professionals like Göran Bergström, chief physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, to take essential action to reduce the number of people affected by heart attacks by the year 2030.
Göran Bergström is not only a leading physician but also a key researcher behind SCAPIS, the world's largest study focusing on heart health, blood vessels, and lungs. This Swedish initiative unites six universities and university hospitals to examine 30,000 residents with the goal of identifying and preventing heart and lung diseases in the long run.
"My focus is to try to identify completely healthy individuals who go around without symptoms but have an imminent risk of having a heart attack without them knowing it themselves," Bergström explains. He emphasizes the need for innovative tools to identify those at risk before it's too late.
In the SCAPIS study, researchers assess various indicators of heart disease, including changes in blood vessels that might signal an impending heart attack. Astonishingly, more than 40 percent of the 30,000 individuals examined showed some changes in their blood vessels. While many exhibited minor changes, one in twenty individuals had significant changes without any prior knowledge.
Although this method of identification can be costly, scientists are dedicated to developing technologies that could, for example, use simple blood tests to identify individuals at risk. "If we find them, we can provide preventive help so that they do not have a heart attack," he points out. This assistance may include lifestyle modification and the use of effective medications tailored for those living with risk factors.
Bergström envisions a revolutionary approach: to establish straightforward methods for identifying individuals at high risk. By measuring specific parameters in the blood, the research team hopes to create an affordable screening test. "If SCAPIS leads to some form of screening method that is clever and cost-effective, I would aim for it to eliminate 20 to 30 percent of those in the risk zone," he asserts.
However, comprehensive studies like SCAPIS require significant funding. The Heart-Lung Foundation is the primary financial backer of this ambitious research project. For the study to yield new advancements in heart health, every contribution is vital. "We can measure a lot of things in the blood of these individuals, but we still can't afford to measure everything we want to measure," Bergström admits.
Despite the funding challenges, he remains optimistic about finding solutions. "I think that soon the ideas for a solution will come, and it is funding that enables us to take that step," he concludes.
To support this essential research and help prevent heart attacks before they occur, consider donating 50 SEK to the cause. Every crown counts in the fight against heart disease.
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