New findings presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions
are highlighting new efforts to prevent heart disease.

Dr. Nishant Shah, an American Heart Association volunteer and
associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center, said this
year’s conference showcases “groundbreaking technologies” with a growing focus
on stopping heart disease before it starts.

“One of the studies I was excited to see was called the
Vesalius-CV trial. That was looking at the impact of a novel cholesterol
lowering medication,” said Shah.

The medication is already on the market, but researchers
tested it in people who have not yet had a heart attack or stroke. Shah
explained it’s a population group that doesn’t typically get this aggressive treatment
up front.

The physician shared the trial found “profound reductions”
in cardiovascular events within these patients.

Shah noted the study reinforces the importance of
identifying cardiovascular risk at every stage, including before someone has had
an event. Prevention efforts also focused on managing obesity, hypertension,
and lifestyle factors, which are all contributing factors to rising rates of heart
attacks in young patients.

“There are many reasons why younger people are getting heart
attacks,” said Shah. “We need to be proactive rather than reactive. The science
is moving in that direction and discovering drugs or strategies to lower risk
to avoid early onset heart disease.”

AHA sessions also featured new gene-editing technologies for
cholesterol and alternative forms of available cholesterol therapies, aimed at
better prevention.

Other research looked at whether a daily cup of coffee might
prevent abnormal heart rhythms from returning after treatment, but doctors
caution additional studies are needed.

“A lot of these studies are early in the investigational phases,
so we can’t jump the gun too much. We still need to get more data, understand
the methodology of these studies, and understand how it will move the clinical
needle forward,” advised Shah.

For his patients, Shah’s message is simple: there’s exciting
science in the pipeline, but it needs to be personalized. The physician
encourages patients to review their individual risk of cardiovascular disease
with their providers to see how these findings might apply to them.