Regular primary care visits are crucial to preventing chronic heart conditions, a new study of personal health habits suggests. Jeremy Sussman of the University of Michigan Department of Internal Medicine said, “As a society, we need to recognize that preventing common conditions requires providers who can see patients often and see the whole patient, which is the role of primary care.”
The study focuses on seven of what the American Heart Association calls “Life’s Essential 8” controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, very high body mass index, tobacco use, low exercise and sleep problems such as insomnia.
Primary care helps to address these risks, but more than 50% of all tobacco users, 44% of those who say they have low levels of physical activity, and 38% of those with severe obesity said they hadn’t seen a provider in the last year.
“Primary care providers today can manage high blood pressure, high cholesterol, most cases of diabetes, and tobacco cessation without having to refer to a specialist, though of course specialists play a key role in more complex prevention cases and post-incident care,” Sussman said.
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