According to national estimates, two thirds of all Americans are overweight or obese, a third has hypertension, and a quarter has high cholesterol. Another 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes, a condition defined by higher-than-normal glucose levels. Considering that cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke account for about two thirds of all diabetes-related deaths, it’s vitally important that clinicians help their patients become aware of their risk of diabetes and CVD. Patients need to learn about the steps they should be taking to prevent the development of these diseases.
A New Online Tool
In 2009, an online tool called My Health Advisor® was launched by the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Cardiometabolic Risk Initiative. The website was designed to help people understand their personal risk for developing type 2 diabetes, CVD, and stroke. My Health Advisor takes into account a person’s specific risk factors (eg, family history and lifestyle choices) and other considerations (eg, access to healthcare) to determine their risk for developing these diseases. It calculates an individual’s future health risks based on their current health profile and then allows the user to readjust those risks based on changes they make in their lives. Such small changes may include losing 5 lbs or 10 lbs, quitting smoking, or taking a daily aspirin. Using this tool, patients who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes can become educated about their manageable and unmanageable risk factors.
My Health Advisor is different from other online health calculators in that it uses Archimedes, a powerful and unique health simulation program. Archimedes is a modeling program that pulls together large quantities of clinical research data to make highly accurate predictions about people’s health risks based on health information data from users (Table). The software creates a user profile, makes 1,000 copies of that profile, and then has these mathematical “clones” live in a virtual reality world in which all relevant factors that can impact someone’s health in the real world match the factors of the simulated world. To ensure accurate assessments, results have been compared directly with real-life clinical trial data; My Health Advisor correlated well with the outcomes of real patients in those major clinical trials.
Substantial Benefits
My Health Advisor provides a compelling, highly accurate assessment of risk for heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It’s available for free at CheckUpAmerica.org/MHA. By providing patients with a customized risk assessment and personalized prevention information, individuals can be motivated to take action to reduce their risk of developing life-threatening diseases.
Clinicians also stand to benefit by using the tool. They can use it with their patients to develop prevention plans. The activities recommended by the tool, such as exercising more often or changing eating habits, can make a big difference in lowering someone’s risk for type 2 diabetes and CVD. Primary care physicians should encourage all patients to use this tool because it may empower them to spot the early signs of pre-diabetes. According to 2008 Omnibus data from the ADA, the majority of adults aged 40 or older are at risk for type 2 diabetes and CVD. This alarming statistic should motivate everyone—physicians and patients alike—to get regular checkups, find out their health numbers, and determine their risk of problems or complications later in life. Communicating the meaning of risk can be challenging for physicians because many patients don’t understand the concept. The important point for physicians is diabetes is preventable with healthy lifestyle choices of weight loss and regular exercise. My Health Advisor is another tool available to physicians to help their patients achieve their goals.
Peter Sheehan, MD, has indicated to Physician’s Weekly that he has received research support from Genzyme and the Tissue Repair Company, and has been on an advisory panel for Advanced Biohealing, Ev3, and Executive Health Exams. He has also been on the speakers bureau for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Pfizer, Merck & Co., and Ev3. He is a board member of Greystone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and is also a stock/shareholder of Greystone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Greystone Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and HyperMed, Inc.
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