A Gates Cambridge alumnus has co-authored a study showing a person's lack of fitness is a key indicator of their likelihood of dying from heart disease - independent of whether they suffer from blocked arteries.
A person’s lack of fitness is a key indicator of their likelihood of dying from heart disease independent of whether they suffer from blocked arteries, according to a study which has been co-authored by a Gates Cambridge alumnus.
The study, Exercise capacity is the strongest predictor of mortality in patients with peripheral arterial disease, is co-authored by Kevin Nead and was recently presented at the Society for Vascular Medicine. It shows that having problems taking moderate exercise is a good indicator of whether a person with peripheral arterial disease is likely to die from cardiovascular causes.
Kevin, who has just completed an MPhil in Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge, was awarded an American Heart Association Student Scholarship in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in June and this month was also awarded the American Association for Cancer Research Scholar-in-Training Award for work related to his MPhil thesis.
He says: “Peripheral arterial disease is an understudied and underdiagnosed condition and we are still working to determine how to best identify individuals with the disease and to improve patients’ outcomes. This study is a small step in understanding the risk factors for patients with peripheral arterial disease and potentially identifies an avenue for new clinical interventions.“
Picture credit: digitalart and www.freedigitalphotos.net
