by Michael Woodhead  

GP health checks and drugs such as antihypertensives are making only a small dent in burden of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, a new report suggests.  

Significant levels of risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, still persist in the Australian population despite half a million GP health checks per year and 50 million prescriptions for blood pressure medications, a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows.  

According to the report, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, and high cholesterol affect over 50% of adults, while smoking and high BP affect 20–35% of adults.  

In some cases the prevalence of risk factors is increasing, with obesity prevalence rising from 11% of adults in 1995 to 24% in 2007–08.  

Risk factors are being addressed through population level interventions such as awareness campaigns and school programs, but there is little data available on these activities.  

At an individual patient level, GPs are doing much to detect and manage risk factors, by providing 11,000 diabetes risk evaluation checks a year, 100,000 45-year old health checks and 310,000 older person health assessments, funded by Medicare.  

GPs also managed risk factors with 50 million prescriptions for BP lowering medications and 21 million lipid-lowering drugs, the report notes.  

Nevertheless, the diseases still account for around a quarter of the burden of disease in Australia, and just under two-thirds of all deaths.  

‘It may take years before we see any discernible effect on these three diseases,’ said Lynelle Moon, Head of the AIHW’s Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and Kidney Unit.