Statement of Need | Learning Objectives | Target Audience
ACCME Statement | CDR Accreditation Statement | ANCC Accreditation Statement

Release and Expiration Dates: December 15, 2009, to December 15, 2010.

Statement of Need
The prevalence of cardiometabolic risk continues to rise in the United States. American physicians should expect to treat unprecedented numbers of patients at high risk for morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease in the years ahead. In 2000, approximately 32% of U.S. adults had the metabolic syndrome, a constellation of cardiometabolic risk factors including excessive abdominal fat, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Today, that figure has climbed to nearly 40%.

Patients with multiple cardiometabolic risk factors have twice the likelihood of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease, and they have more than seven times the risk of developing diabetes. As the number of these patients increases, the burden of cardiovascular disease can be expected to increase in the United States as well. Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease already affects 80.7 million U.S. adults and is the leading cause of U.S. deaths. As a killer, it surpasses cancer and accidents, causing approximately 869,000 deaths annually—an average of 2,400 deaths per day, or one death every 37 seconds, according to the American Heart Association. The total economic cost of cardiovascular disease is $488.5 billion annually.

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Are Undertreated and Difficult to Manage
Despite the well-documented risks of unchecked diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, these conditions are commonly under-treated. Even when treated, they remain stubbornly difficult to manage:

• The majority of treated diabetic patients fail to meet the minimum A1c goal of 7% or less. Recent data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System found that only 42% of treated diabetic patients had an A1c of 7% or less.
• When it comes to first-line therapy for obesity—diet and exercise—few patients succeed, and any improvements are usually modest. Current pharmacotherapy options are limited. Available obesity drugs have produced only modest weight loss to date and have been linked to adverse gastrointestinal effects and mood disorders.
• Only 61% of patients with hypertension are receiving any form of treatment. Of these, only 35% have their blood pressure under control, while it remains uncontrolled in 65% of treated patients.
• Less than half of persons who qualify for any kind of lipid-modifying treatment to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease are receiving it. In fact, less than half of even the highest-risk persons, those with symptomatic coronary heart disease, are receiving lipid-lowering treatment. Of those being treated, only about one-third are achieving target goals.

Cardiometabolic Risk in Children & Adolescents
Cardiometabolic risk is becoming so common in the United States that it is even affecting our children, suggesting that future generations will bear an even greater burden of cardiovascular disease if adequate treatments cannot be found. Estimates of the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in U.S. children and adolescents range from 4.5% to more than 9%. Among overweight and obese adolescents, the prevalence rate rises to one-third. Two-thirds of adolescents have at least one metabolic abnormality.

Conclusion
Healthcare professionals play a major role in stemming these health consequences and associated costs by employing aggressive strategies for early identification and comprehensive management of patients presenting with multiple cardiometabolic risk factors. The 2009 Cardiometabolic Health Congress will translate the latest cutting-edge medical research into practical clinical approaches for preventing, delaying, and
managing cardiovascular and metabolic risk. The goal is to provide the medical community with evidence-based interventions to improve health outcomes and quality of life for the growing numbers of patients at increased cardiometabolic risk.

Learning Objectives
At the end of the congress participants will be able to:

• explain the interrelationships among the various cardiometabolic risk factors, their impact on cardiovascular health, and their common comorbidities;
• translate evidence-based strategies for prevention, screening, and treatment of cardiometabolic risk factors and their comorbidities to their clinical practice;
• identify which interventions, including lifestyle changes and various drugs in combination, are most appropriate for particular patients based on their risk profiles; and
• discuss how novel and emerging therapies can best be integrated into clinical practice to reduce morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease

Target Audience
Advanced-level clinicians responsible for the prevention, diagnosis, and management of cardiometabolic risk.

Physician Accreditation
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of Medical Education Resources and HealthScience Media, Inc. Medical Education Resources is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation
Medical Education Resources designates this educational activity for a maximum of 24 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s) ™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Registered Dietitian Accreditation
This program has been approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration for 24 CPEUs.

Nursing Accreditation
Medical Education Resources is a provider of continuing nursing education by the Colorado Nurses Association, an approved accreditor by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. This CE activity provides 24 contact hours. Provider approval expires
July 31, 2011. Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #CEP 12299, for 24 contact hours.

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