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-3- A A principal recommendation of the report just released was that the President appoint a continuing National Commission "for long-term planning, and monitoring of preventive and control programs directed against arteriosclerosis." Other major recommendations were: . Establishment of a limited number of National Centers for Arteriosclerosis Prevention at major medical centers. In terms of facilities and staff, these would be several times larger than anything currently designated as atherosclerosis centers. These would be concerned with multidisciplinary approaches to all facets of the arteriosclerosis problem and actively engaged in screening programs to identify individ- uals at high risk of arteriosclerosis, particularly those in the younger age groups. . Establishment of 5-10 model Cardiovascular Disease Preven- tion Clinics within the framework of existing programs to (1) develop improved methods of detecting high-risk individ- uals; (2) develop improved methods of intervention against highly skilled risk factors; and (3) develop trained manpower highly skilled in cardiovascular prevention. These clinics would be served by a central coordinating unit that would develop standardized procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and data collection. . Creation of an Office of Health Education within NHLI to serve as a clearinghouse for information on arteriosclerosis, par- ticularly the importance of diet, hypertension, obesity, and cigarette smoking. . Population studies to verify the "Risk Factor Hypothesis" of arteriosclerosis. Among-the risk factors subject to modifi- cation, the three most prevalent and serious are elevated blood levels of cholesterol and other fatty substances, ele- vated blood pressure, and cigarette smoking. It is estimated that some 80% of persons afflicted with premature arterio- sclerosis have one or more of these risk factors working against them. . The proposed studies would carefully evaluate the impact of currently available preventive measures in reducing the threat of illness and death from arteriosclerosis. The Task Force further recommended the establishment of research, public and professional education, and demonstration projects aimed at: . developing new methods of detecting and measuring the severity of atherosclerosis before clinical symptoms appear . recognizing and coping with impending heart attack (sudden cardiac death) (more)

-4 - . evaluation of coronary bypass and other surgical procedures designed to revascularize the heart • investigating causation, detection, and treatment of heart rhythm abnormalities and other complications of heart attack • providing better methods and facilities for treating patients suffering from chronic (angina pectoris) as well as acute forms of atherosclerotic heart disease, cerebrovascular dis- ease (strokes). Members of the Task Force were: Elliot V. Newman, M.D. Professor of Experimental Medicine Vanderbilt U. School of Medicine Jack C. Geer, M.D. Professor and Chairman Ohio State U. School of Medicine Oglesby Paul, M.D. Professor of Medicine Northwestern U. Medical School Sidney Blumenthal, M.D. Professor of Pediatric Cardiology U. of Miami College of Medicine Kenneth M. Brinkhous, M.D. Alumni Distinguished Professor and Chairman Department of Pathology University of North Carolina Howard A. Eder, M.D. Professor of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine Alfred P. Fishman, M.D. Professor of Medicine Associate Dean U. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Charles K. Friedberg, M.D. Clinical Professor of Medicine Mt. Sinai School of Medicine Herbert P. Galligher, Ph.D. Professor of Industrial Engineering Uni versi ty of Mi chi gan T. Joseph Reeves, M.D. Professor and Chairman Department of Medicine University of Alabama Isadore Rosenfeld, M.D. Clin. Associate Professor of Medicine Cornell U. Medical College Fiorindo A. Simeone, M.D. Professor of Medical Sciences Brown University James F. Tool e, M.D. Teagle Professor of Neurology and Chairman of Department Bowman-Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest Ernest L. Wynder, M.D. President American Health Foundation Donald B. Zilversmit, Ph.D. Professor Graduate School of Nutrition Cornell University i

NATIONAL HEART AND LUNG INSTITUTE Press Summary National Institutes of Health Public Health Service Michael Amrine Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Office 301 496-4236.,_~ - Bethesda, Maryland 20014 Home 202; IJ06-4027 FOR-RELEASE IN AM PAPERS Friday, December 10, 1971 A national program of research and education to attack "a national epidemic" of heart disease is proposed in a report released today* at the National Heart and Lung Institute. The report,'a 100-page summation of facts and recommendations re- lated to a larger report to be published later, was prepared for the Institute by the Task Force on•Arteriosclerosis. This group was chaired by Dr. Elliot V. Newman of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, wi th Dr. Ogl est,y Paul, Professor of Medi ci ne at Northwestern Uni versi -cy Medical School, Chicago, as co-chairman. The 15-member group, representing various fields of heart disease research and treatment, called for the President to appoint a continu- ing national commission and said that "a major health goal of the 1970's ~ should be prevention and control of arteriosclerosis" and that "leader- ship in fulfilling this national*commitment should be assumed by the President and supported by the Congress." The Task Force has been holding meetings for more than a year, after being appointed by Dr. Theodore Cooper, Director of NHLI. In re- leasing Volume I of the arteriosclerosis report, Dr. Cooper and members of the Task Force characterized this as the paramount American health problem of our time. *Available at 10 a,m. Thursday at Office of Heart und Lung Information, Bethesda, for release Friday AMs December 10, 1971. O s 00 w (m`ore)

. .. -2- t They emphasized that each yeaw diseases of the heart and blood vessels (collectively called cardiovascular diseases) cause more than 1 million deaths in the U.S. and partially or completely disable hun- dreds of thousands of other persons. An estimated 845,000 Americans are hospitalized each year for coro- nary heart disease, 370,000 for strokes, 288,000 for hypertension, and 104,000 for general arteriosclerosis. Nearly 36 million American adults are thought to be afflicted by cardiovascular disease. Arteriosclerosis is defined as a degenerative blood-vessel disease which results in the gradual narrowing--and sometimes complete closure-- of blood vessels by fatty materials and other substances deposited from the blood into the inner wall of arteries. Approximately 84% of all cardiovascular deaths are believed due to arteriosclerosis in various manifestations, including angina pectoris, acute heart attacks, sudden" cardiac death, congestive heart failure, and strokes. In planning a national attack on this major health problem, the Task Force met at regular intervals, drawing on the advice and studies of many scientists and clinicians, inside and outside of government, particularly persons active in biomedical fields such as lipid metabo- lism, hematology, cardiology, cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology. The report several times emphasized that in this country this disease has reached epidemic proportions. Of all deaths of Americans in the age group 35 through 64, about 40% are due to heart attacks, strokes, and other heart ailments. Scientists do not understand, the report said, why the United States should have by far the worst heart disease rate in the world--much worse than any other industrialized nation except Finland. ;. Specific proposals of the report included the creation of national centers for the prevention of arteriosclerosis, the creation of preven- tion clinics, the establishment of a national clearing house for infor- mation on arteriosclerosis, and proposals for specific clinical trials to test certain factors implicated in heart disease. Aside from pro- posing specific programs of research, another major component recom- mended for the national program would be an effort to see that the American health care system is using the answers or the information which have already appeared as a result of scientific research. In this, and in some other respects, the report suggests not merely a federal program but a national program in which many groups and the citizen himself could participate. The report was made available in connection with a meeting of the Task Force at the National Heart and Lung Institute. At this meeting the Task Force began a detailed examination of costs of various program components. (more)