Dr. Safford and Colleagues Publish Pivotal Paper in Circulation: Social Determinants to Prevent Fatal Heart Attacks


Dr. Monika Safford

Dr. Monika Safford, the John J. Kuiper Professor of Medicine, and Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, WDOM, and colleagues have published a paper in Circulation that has uncovered seven social determinants to prevent fatal heart attacks.

Through analyzing data from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study, which tracked cardiovascular-related health outcomes in more than 20,000 people for a decade, the researchers determined adverse social determinants of health that can lead to a higher likelihood of having a fatal heart attack.

Dr. Safford explained that noting a patient’s high number of social determinants of health could enable a cardiologist or general practitioner not only to anticipate a higher chance of bad outcomes, but also to mitigate that added risk with more intensive treatment.

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