FACT SHEET:  BABY BOOMERS
& CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

Baby Boomers

• Baby boomers are persons born from 1946–1964, a period of increased birth rates due to the economic prosperity that occurred after World War II.
• Today, there are 78 million American baby boomers, comprising one-third of the U.S. population.
• According to a 2005 U.S. census report, the social and economic changes brought about by the baby boom generation are resulting in seniors who are healthier, wealthier, and more independent than preceding generations.
• In 2006, the oldest of the baby boomers turns 60 years old, signaling a shift in their healthcare needs and an overall greater dependence on the healthcare system.

Health Issues Facing Baby Boomers

• Lifestyle factors, including leisure time and career aspirations, which once were a priority for baby boomers, have been replaced with other issues, such as health maintenance and disease prevention.
• In fact, baby boomers are the largest group of healthcare consumers in the country.
• The large number of baby boomers and their interest in healthcare are taxing the healthcare system more than any group in history.
• Baby boomers are more aware of the healthcare system. They are more likely to take charge of their health and embrace medical treatments than generations past.
• Baby boomers have different healthcare expectations than previous generations. In contrast to past generations, who tended to avoid healthcare, baby boomers seek it out. They expect to be healthy and to be “fixed” when they aren't healthy.
• Rising healthcare costs are a significant concern for baby boomers. The average baby boomer age 45–54 spends $2,695 annually on healthcare, and those with chronic health conditions spend significantly more. Furthermore, healthcare expenditures increase with age. For example, persons age 55–64 spend an average of $3,260 yearly on healthcare costs, while those age 65 and over spend $3,899.
• Not satisfied with “one-size-fits-all” healthcare, personalized medicine has become a watchword for the baby boom generation.
• Disease prevention and health screening are some of the most important issues for baby boomers. This is evidenced by the growing demand among boomers for advanced diagnostic testing, such as full body scans, colonoscopies, and expanded cholesterol tests, such as the VAP® (Vertical Auto Profile) Cholesterol Test from Atherotech.

Baby Boomers & Cardiovascular Disease

• Cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke are not only diseases of the elderly. Last year, 150,000 Americans under the age of 65 died of CVD.
• More than 36 percent of Americans age 45–54 have some form of cardiovascular disease.
• At ages 40–59, nearly 75 percent of men and nearly 65 percent of women are overweight or obese—a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• Among Americans age 40–59, more than 57 percent have high cholesterol (200 mg/dL or higher).
• More than 21 percent of Americans age 40–59 have total blood cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or above, a significant risk factor for heart disease.
• The metabolic syndrome—a condition that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes—is skyrocketing among baby boomers. The metabolic syndrome is characterized in part by the “atherogenic lipid triad” of high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and small, dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol particles.
• The most exciting advances in cardiology today are in the area of prevention. Prevention of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke requires early identification of risk factors, which allows quicker and more-effective treatment.
• For aging baby boomers, early identification of health risks and disease prevention will enable them to remain healthy and will significantly reduce their healthcare expenses.
• Cholesterol testing is a key tool in the identification of heart disease risk. However, the routine test, which measures total cholesterol, HDL, and triglycerides, and estimates LDL, detects only about 40 percent of people at risk. This means that many baby boomers may be at risk for heart disease—even if their routine cholesterol test results have come back as “normal”—because the standard test fails to measure many cholesterol abnormalities.

The VAP Cholesterol Test

• The VAP Cholesterol Test is a simple blood test that measures total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides, as well as important cholesterol subclasses and components that play significant roles in the development of heart disease but are not measured by the routine cholesterol test.
• The VAP Test is the first cholesterol test to directly measure LDL, the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) primary target of therapy. The inaccurate calculated LDL provided by the routine cholesterol test is one reason it fails to identify many people at risk for heart disease.
• The VAP Test is the first test to quantify all of the NCEP’s secondary and emerging cholesterol risk factors—new information that allows the identification of patients who were under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed with the conventional cholesterol profile.
• Examples include lipoprotein(a), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol, and LDL pattern density—important because LDL that is predominantly small and dense (versus large and buoyant) increases heart disease risk.
• As a result, the VAP Test identifies a far greater number of patients at risk of heart disease than the routine cholesterol tests.
• The VAP Test is the first accurate, easy-to-use, and affordable means to obtain a complete cholesterol profile, allowing physicians to better assess heart disease risk and direct patient-specific therapy. This early assessment can be of vital importance to baby boomers, helping to detect treatable cholesterol problems before they advance to more serious diseases.
• Treatment options include lifestyle changes, modifications to diet, and vitamins such as niacin, as well as a growing array of effective medications. As a result, the VAP Test can help baby boomers take charge of their heart health before problems occur.
• The VAP Test is available nationwide through national and regional diagnostic laboratories. The test is reimbursed by most payors, including Medicare.
• Consumers also can obtain a VAP Test directly from the Get a VAP website (www.getavap.com).
• The VAP Test was named one of “Ten Ways to Live Longer” by Forbes.com, and was selected as one of “Five Tests Worth Paying For” by The Wall Street Journal.

BACK TO PRESS KIT