FACT SHEET:  OLDER AMERICANS
& CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

The Aging of America

• America is growing older. Persons 65–74 years of age currently represent 12 percent of the U.S. population. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2020, one in five Americans will be older than 65.
• The “oldest old,” those age 85 and over, are the most rapidly growing age group. In the United State alone, the 85-and-older group is expected to double in size by 2020, reaching more than 7 million.
• During the 20th century, the older population grew from 3 million to 35 million and is projected to grow to almost 87 million by 2050.
• Healthcare costs are a serious issue for older Americans. Fidelity Investments recently estimated that a couple retiring in 2006 would need $200,000 to cover healthcare costs for 20 years in retirement.
• Average prescription drug costs for older Americans increased rapidly throughout the 1990s. Average costs per Medicare enrollee age 65 and over were $1,340 in 2000, and seniors with chronic health conditions incurred significantly more. The average number of prescriptions filled annually for this population also rose substantially over time, from an average of 18 filled prescriptions in 1992 to about 30 filled prescriptions in 2000.
• Experts are focusing on ways to improve the health and quality of life for seniors so they can continue to live actively and relatively free of disease. This focus fits well with a senior population that is more educated, affluent, and increasingly knowledgeable about health issues. Preventing or reducing the impact of disease also may help reduce the enormous healthcare costs faced by seniors.
• May is Older American Month, and May 28, 2008 is National Senior Health & Fitness Day. These events are designed to increase awareness about health issues facing seniors and provide information to help them live healthier and more active lives.

Seniors & Cardiovascular Disease

• Cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, are among the most common and costly health conditions for older Americans.
• More than 83 percent of cardiovascular disease deaths occur in people age 65 and older.
• In 2003, more than 6 million Americans were discharged from hospitals with a primary diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. Of this group, 63 percent were age 65 and older.
• For older Americans, chronic health conditions like heart disease negatively impact quality of life, impairing function and the ability to live independently.
• Among people 60–79, 52 percent of men and 71 percent of women have cholesterol levels greater than 200 mg/dL, which increases their risk for heart disease.
• An estimated 40 percent of adults 60 and older have the metabolic syndrome—a condition that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. The metabolic syndrome is characterized in part by the “atherogenic lipid triad” of high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and small, dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles.
• Some of the most exciting advances in cardiology today are in the area of prevention. In fact, many of the chronic conditions suffered by seniors, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, can be prevented or improved with lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, weight loss, and smoking cessation. A growing array of effective medications also is providing seniors new hope to remain healthy.
• Cholesterol testing is a key tool in the identification of heart disease risk. However, the routine test detects only about 40 percent of people at risk for a heart attack. This means that many older Americans are at risk, even if they have “normal” results from a routine test, because the standard test fails to measure many cholesterol abnormalities.

The VAP® Cholesterol Test

• The VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) Cholesterol Test from Atherotech, Inc., is a simple blood test that identifies a far greater number of people at risk for cardiovascular disease than the routine cholesterol test.
• The VAP Test measures total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides, plus other subclasses and components that play important 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 also quantifies all NCEP 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.
• The VAP Test, an accurate, easy-to-use, and affordable means to obtain a complete cholesterol profile, allows physicians to better assess heart disease risk and direct patient-specific therapy. This early assessment can be of vital importance to older Americans—detecting cholesterol problems before they advance to more serious diseases.
• 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.

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