Dr. Jared Pelo sits down with cardiologist Dr. Mike McConnell to discuss a revolutionary approach to heart disease prevention. Dr. McConnell, who authored the book "Fight Heart Disease Like Cancer," shares his expertise on early detection, risk assessment, and proactive treatment strategies.
Dr. McConnell challenges the traditional view of heart disease as simply a "plumbing problem" where arteries gradually get clogged. Instead, he frames it as an active biological process more similar to cancer, where growths develop in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. These growths can remain asymptomatic until a blood clot forms, potentially causing a sudden and catastrophic event - as happened with Dr. McConnell's own father-in-law.
"We're in this amazing era of tools, both for prevention from a lifestyle perspective and from a medication perspective that we can really stop this," Dr. McConnell explains. "We shouldn't be having people who have blockages and need stents or bypass surgery or having heart attacks."
The conversation explores various screening methods for heart disease, including:
Dr. McConnell highlights the importance of early screening, especially for those with a family history of heart disease. He also discusses how these imaging tools can help motivate patients to take their risk factors seriously and adhere to treatment plans.
The American Heart Association's "Life's Essential Eight" provides a framework for heart disease prevention:
Dr. McConnell adds two more important factors to this list: limiting alcohol consumption and managing stress.
While lifestyle modifications are important, Dr. McConnell acknowledges their limitations. He advocates for a combined approach:
"The more you can do with lifestyle, the less you need medication. So that's sort of part of the bargaining or discussion that we have," he explains.
Dr. McConnell notes that only about one in three eligible people in the US are taking cholesterol-lowering medication, even though guidelines would recommend it. He sees tremendous opportunity in increasing awareness and proactive treatment.
Dr. McConnell shares exciting developments in heart disease prevention, including using AI to analyze retinal images for cardiovascular risk assessment. His company, Toku, is working to bring this technology to market, which could potentially identify at-risk individuals during routine eye exams.
"Not everybody's day to day, unlike me, most people are not thinking about their heart disease risk every day," he says. "Why not when you're making contact with optometry, ophthalmology, getting an eye exam, that there's an opportunity to say, look, your retina looks like you have some increased risk."
For those interested in learning more, Dr. McConnell's book "Fight Heart Disease Like Cancer" and website (FHDLC.info) provide additional resources and guidance.
As Dr. Pelo notes at the conclusion of their conversation, following Dr. McConnell's advice on screening and prevention could save countless lives - perhaps the greatest impact a physician can have.