Compared to high-income countries, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) like heart disease are responsible for more deaths in low- and middle-income countries. We can use approaches like regulating salt in prepared food to prevent these diseases; conversely, we could target individuals most likely to suffer a CVD and treat them with medicines that lower blood pressure and cholesterol. To identify people at high cardiovascular risk, researchers have developed “risk prediction equations”. However, their predictions are not accurate when applied in people with different profiles than those who were included in the equation development. Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) populations have not been included in any risk prediction equations, hence the lack of tools to identify high-risk people and guide treatment. This project aims to develop a cardiovascular risk equation based on data from people in LAC, and to calculate how many people are at high cardiovascular risk and how many receive treatment.

Aim:

To develop and put into practice a tool to identify people at high risk of CVDs in LAC, and to assess treatment gap and coverage in people at high cardiovascular risk.

Study design:

Data pooling of population-based cohort studies in LAC.

Result:

In this project we developed the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean (CC-LAC). The CC-LAC has authored three academic papers. First, a cohort profile where the history of the CC-LAC was summarized, together with a description of the cohorts included in the CC-LAC. Second, the CC-LAC aimed to quantify the association between cardiometabolic risk factors and cardiovascular outcomes, to compare whether the magnitude of such association was consistent with that from global cohorts, and to quantify the number of cardiovascular events attributable to main cardiometabolic risk factors in LAC. Third, the CC-LAC developed the first cardiovascular risk score for LAC, and the risk score was recalibrated for 31 countries in LAC. In addition to delivering high-quality scientific evidence, the CC-LAC sought to deliver pragmatic instruments too. For example, for the second academic paper the CC-LAC developed country-specific infographics, and for the third paper the CC-LAC developed country-specific risk charts.

Contact:

Rodrigo M Carrillo Larco, MD

rodrigo.carrillo@upch.pe