Early testing would rapidly reduce heart disease and strokes in New Zealanders, a nutritionist said today.
University of Otago professor Jim Mann helped to produce new guidelines launched yesterday that suggest men should be tested at 45, women at 55 and Maori 10 years earlier.
The guidelines will allow advice and treatmentto be given to those who need them most, Prof Mann said today.
"We need to try to find people who are at relatively high or very high risk of heart disease so that they can be targeted for individual advice," he told National Radio.
"If we don't go out and find those people we'll find them too late. That is, after they've had a heart attack or a stroke."
Overseas studies suggested that once the measures were taken up, a difference would be seen quickly.
"Within five and certainly 10 years we should see major differences in not only the risk of cardiovascular disease but ... heart attacks, strokes reducing rapidly."
Similarly, screening for kidney, eye and foot diseases would reduce Type 2 Diabetes, which is linked to obesity, poor diet and lack of exercise.
The national heart disease guideline aims to help doctors and nurses work out a patient's percentage risk of having a heart attack, stroke or angina, within the following five years.
Maori, Pacific Islanders and Indians were urged to have a comprehensive check 10 years earlier than Pakeha, as was anyone with known heart and stroke risks such as smoking, having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar levels or diabetes.
Cardiovascular disease, mainly heart disease and stroke, accounts for 40 per cent of deaths in New Zealand. Maori are statistically at greater risk than Europeans.
The recommended management starts with general advice on healthy eating, exercise and not smoking. A further check in five to 10 years was recommended for those judged at less than 10 per cent risk of suffering an event within five years.
Those carrying a risk of more than 20 per cent would be offered intensive lifestyle advice, drug treatment and follow-up monitoring.
