MANAGEMENT OF CAD MAKES A DIFFERENCE : GRACE.

The May 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, carries the results of GRACE (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events). This is essentially a registry follow-up study (not a clinical placebo controlled trial) of 44,372 patients with acute coronary syndrome managed and followed up from July 1999 till December 2006. This study was headed by Dr Kim Fox, of Edindurgh, involved 113 hospital in 14 countries. We are all happy to note that over the six years of follow up, the use of beta-blockers, ACE-I, Statins, anti-platelets, and PCI with LMWH and GP2b3a. The results clearly showed that the rates of death, MI, CCF, second heart attacks and even strokes, declined by half over this six years. It is heartening to note that a very large registry with six years of follow up showed that the modern way of adequate medical therapy with appropriate PCI, has halved all the bad things that happen to people with CAD. These kind of data is seriously lacking with traditional medicaine or alternative medicine. Recently, in our country, we are hearing the importance of traditional / alternative medicine to holistsic medicine. Yet, neither in traditional medicine, nor in alternative medicine, do we see any data on their short and longterm effectiveness. How are we going to show that they work? I am glad for GRACE, which again reinstate the point that western medicine works and has been proven to work. Let traditional / alternative medicine do the same.

Powered by ScribeFire.