Office for Internal Medicine and Cardiology - MED CENTER HOCKENHEIM

It is one of our most important responsibilities to protect our patients from a heart attack. Therefore preventive medicine plays an important role in our office.

that coronary heart disease and its consequences represent the highest cause of death in Germany? Almost a quarter of all deaths are due to it; approximately 220,000 men and women die of this disease annually. One in three heart attacks hit the patient without prior warning.

Besides the uninfluenceable risk factors like age, sex and genetic disposition we have known for some time influenceable risk factors such as liquid metabolic disorder, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and smoking cigarettes. In the past few years additional risk factors such as CRP, lipo proteins(a), homocysteine, genetic polymorphism, a thickened intima-media of the artery vessels or an elevated calcium-score (Multi-Slice-Computertomography) were also identified. Further parameters (albumin in the urine, cystatin-C, hyperfibrinogenic aemie and phospho lipid antibodies) are being discussed as possibly playing a role in it. Basic risk factors that are undisputed are an unhealthy atherogenic nutrition, being overweight and lack of physical activity.

For the individual total risk which among others determines the therapeutic desired scores the individual risk factors have a varying significance. In order to determine the total risk a point system is recommended which is derived from the results of the Prospective-Cardiovascular-Münster-Study (PROCAM). In this study, one point is allotted to each derived risk factor and by summing them one obtains the total number of points. Through this the 10-year-risk for the occurrence of a heart attack can be derived (Procam-Risk-Calculator).

Besides the value dependent interpretation of the lab results, individual therapy goals can be determined with the help of the derived risk- check. In this case the influenceable risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoker status, diabetes and liquid metabolic disorders are in the foreground. Often a change in lifestyle in connection with increased physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of disease.