June 21, 2019: A Polypill Strategy for Cardiovascular Prevention in Underserved Populations–Can We Bridge the Gap? (Daniel Munoz, MD, MPA, Thomas Wang, MD)

Speakers

Daniel Muñoz, MD, MPA
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Cardiology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Thomas J. Wang, MD
Professor of Medicine
Gottlieb C. Friesinger II Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine
Director, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Physician-in-Chief, Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute

Topic

A Polypill Strategy for Cardiovascular Prevention in Underserved Populations–Can We Bridge the Gap?

Keywords

Cardiovascular health; Prevention; Underserved populations; Health disparities; Southern Cohort Community Study (SCCS); Health outcomes

Key Points

Despite therapeutic advances in preventing cardiovascular disease, risk factors (blood pressure, cholesterol) and disease burden remain high in vulnerable populations.
Drivers of cardiovascular health disparities include inadequate access to healthcare, economic barriers, lifestyle and cultural barriers, and low adherence to medication.
A “polypill” strategy for prevention involves a once-daily, fixed-dose combination of 4 to 5 medications. The Southern Cohort Community Polypill Trial tested whether use of a polypill would control cardiovascular risk factors better than usual care in an at-risk U.S. primary prevention subpopulation.

Discussion Themes

The “prevention paradox” is that most people who get heart disease are at low predicted risk.

Which is the better approach to preventing cardiovascular disease—a high-risk, personalized approach or a pragmatic, population approach?

A federally qualified health clinic network can serve as an effective platform to study and address cardiovascular disease health disparities.

Read more about the SCCS Polypill Pilot Trial in a recent publication, Polypill for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in an Underserved Population.

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