Participants needed for heart study

People with a close relative with premature cardiovascular disease are being sought for a UQ study.

Director of UQ's Cardiovascular Imaging Research Centre Associate Professor Tony Stanton said researchers were seeking people aged between 40 and 65 with a parent and/or sibling who had been diagnosed with premature cardiovascular disease (ie, before the age of 60).

The trial, under way at the Princess Alexandra and Ipswich hospitals, aims to discover if healthy people who are at risk due to a family history of cardiovascular disease can be identified and thereby avoid the development of cardiovascular disease themselves by early modification of a potentially unhealthy lifestyle.

Cardiovascular disease includes a heart attack, cardiac bypass surgery, stroke caused by a blood clot (not a brain bleed) and/or poor blood supply to the hands, feet or lower legs caused by blocked arteries.

A free carotid artery scan is included in the eligibility assessment for all participants.

Eligible participants will be randomly placed into either a disease-management program or remain in the care of their usual physicians.

Those undertaking the disease-management program will be provided with an individual care plan by a study nurse addressing their risk factors, including medication therapy, if necessary.

There are four study sites at present – Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Singapore with a new site to open in Ipswich.

Dr Stanton said recruitment was ongoing with participants screened until the end of March next year, with a three-year follow-up after that time.

If you interested in taking part in the study or for more details, please contact 3176 6146 or email j.holliday@uq.edu.au.