Closing the gap in cardiovascular risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

Jennifer S. Reath, Peter O'Mara

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Ischaemic heart disease remains the leading cause of death among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, with a population rate 1.8 times that for non-Indigenous Australians; the ratio is even higher in young people, with 12.0% of deaths in 30–39-year-old Indigenous Australians caused by heart disease, compared with 3.8% for non-Indigenous people in this age group.5 While screening for risk factors is recommended for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from 12 years of age, calculating absolute cardiovascular risk in those not already known to be at high risk is currently recommended only from 30 years of age.6 Adding 5% to the calculated 5-year risk score is recommended in communities with a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and disease.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17-18
Number of pages2
JournalMedical Journal of Australia
Volume209
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Keywords

  • Aboriginal Australians
  • Torres Strait Islanders
  • coronary heart disease
  • risk factors

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