HOW YOU CAN HELP PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST KILLERS

Do you have a family history of heart disease? Would you like to know how to reduce your risk of this potentially deadly disease? One of Australia’s leading medical research organisations, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, is calling on people aged 40-70 years to take part in an innovative research study that aims to advance the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease.

Baker Institute, which has its headquarters in Melbourne adjacent to The Alfred Hospital, is Australia’s first multidisciplinary institute dedicated to reducing death and disability caused by cardiovascular disease, diabetes and related disorders.

Institute Director and cardiologist, Professor Tom Marwick is investigating the use of coronary scanning to identify people in high-risk groups before they develop serious symptoms. He is leading a national, multicentre study, entitled the CAUGHT-CAD study, of over 700 people who haven’t experienced a cardiovascular event themselves, but have immediate family members or relatives who have had a heart attack, stent or surgery. The aim is to find the disease in the early stages, before it narrows the arteries, and initiate treatment to stop it progressing.

You may be eligible for a free coronary scan if you are;

Ø  Between 40-70 years of age

Ø  Have an immediate family member (parent or sibling) who has had a heart attack, stent or bypass surgery under the age of 60, or non-immediate family member (grandparent, uncle or aunt) under the age of 50

Ø  Do not take cholesterol lowering medication (statin drug)

Professor Marwick says the CAUGHT-CAD study will show for the first time whether the process of coronary scanning can help to identify people among whom treatment might change the natural history of heart disease.

For more information about the study, please contact Jo Harris on 03 8532 1511 or baker.CAUGHT@bakeridi.edu.au