A new report underlining baby boomers at higher risk of unidentified CVD risk factors reveals that one in five cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients cease taking their medicines within the first month of treatment.

The Generation Risk report, released today by Access Economics, discovered that 1.1 million people aged 55 years or more experience a 30% chance of heart attack or stroke within five years.

Estimating CVD possibility in Australians aged 55 or older on a scale comparable to the one utilized for forest fire cautions, the report was founded on a gathering of asymptomatic or ‘silent’ risk factors like high blood pressure, being obese or smoking.

Within the people group aged 55 years or over, three out of four are physically not active, 70% are plump or obese, 58% suffer from high cholesterol, 51% have hypertension, 26% were diabetic and 14% have had a previous CVD event.

According to the scale, twice as many men belong to the ‘high risk’ category or bigger, experiencing at least a 15% likelihood of a heart attack or stroke in the next five years, Dr. Greg Conner, Cardiologist, Cardiovascular Diagnostic Services and the Report’s Specialist Advisor, said that 80% of vulnerable patients discontinue their blood pressure drugs after 30 months.

Dr. Conner said, “The best drug in the world is not going to work if the patient doesn’t take it”.