The Crisis of Vascular Disease and the Journey to Vascular Health: Presidential Address at the American Heart Association 2015 Scientific Sessions.

Abstract

On behalf of the American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association, I am privileged to welcome this esteemed group of scientists, healthcare providers, educators, and trainees from all over the globe. Thank you for joining us and thank you for all the work you are doing to save and improve lives. Today, I would like to talk to you about the burden of vascular disease and the urgent reasons we must act to preserve vascular health. As a specialist in vascular medicine, I have devoted my career to investigating vascular diseases and, most importantly, to caring for patients with these disabling and often fatal conditions of the arteries and veins. The importance of the vascular system was noted some 2500 years ago by Hippocrates, when he made this observation about the blood vessels: “They are the sources of human nature and are like rivers that purl through the body and supply the human body with life.”1 It is a compelling metaphor. Rivers are sources of life, vitality, and connectivity. When a river becomes obstructed or damaged, everything around it suffers, sometimes with grave consequences. The same occurs with the rivers and tributaries that are our blood vessels. When they are damaged, everything downstream is in peril. That is precisely the problem millions of Americans are facing today—their damaged vessels put their bodies in dire jeopardy. Just over a century ago, William Osler said: “Life’s tragedies are usually arterial.”2 And indeed today, 2 significant vascular disorders, atherosclerosis and thrombosis, are the principal underpinnings of the 2 leading causes of death in the world: heart disease and stroke. These disorders also cause peripheral artery disease (PAD), which affects between 8 and 10 million people in the United States. PAD limits a person’s ability to walk, may require revascularization, or …