Participating in Lifelines can help prevent imminent cardiovascular disease

Groningen – Feedback on health outcomes of participants in the long-term health study Lifelines contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular disease of the participants. This is evident from a study by UMCG and UMC Utrecht among 50,000 Lifeline participants. Measurements made during the study showed that more than 2,000 participants had a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. On the advice of their general practitioner, they now use preventive medications as blood pressure lowerers.

Risk factors in the picture
During a visit to Lifelines, each participant is determined whether he or she has risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Newly identified risk factors are fed to both the participant and their general practitioner. Following these comments, the researchers noted an increase in the use of antihypertensive drugs among participants at risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

This contributes to the health of the participants, and is therefore very positive, says physician and researcher Yildao van der End: “A large number of life-line participants who have a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease have not previously been prescribed any blood pressure or cholesterol-lowering medications. For guidelines that should be. People may not be aware of the risk factors; by “screening” by their participation in the lifeline, these are now coming to light. Heart and blood vessels. This will require further research. “

A wealth of data
Lifeline contributes to the goal of helping people age with better health in the future. In 2006, Lifelines began collecting data from more than 167,000 participants from the North of the Netherlands: a wealth of data. At the start of Lifeline in 2006, participants were expected to become aware of risk factors or health harms that they were not aware of. By detecting these at a very early stage, these participants can be treated early. This naturally works prophylactically for more serious health damage. Since 2019, Lifelines participants have been invited for the third time to donate body materials (such as blood and urine) and complete surveys. Using this data, researchers can then act to contribute to healthier aging.