Cardiovascular clinical research with Synexus
BY READERS DIGEST
1st Jan 2015 Health Conditions
Steve, a Research Physician at Synexus Clinical Research, is on a mission to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease. He tells us what CVD is and how you can help him on his quest.
The importance of understanding cardiovascular disease
I’m Steve, a Research physician at Synexus clinical research and I work from the Lancashire clinic, interacting with clinical trial participants from across the region.
Synexus is a company dedicated to conducting clinical studies and has been investigating the effectiveness of new medicines and treatments for more than 20 years.
We have 8 clinics in the UK and 24 clinics around the world.
Cardiovascular research is an area Synexus works heavily within—and has actually formed the majority of the research carried out at our UK clinics over the past couple of years. As such we recognise the importance of raising awareness of such conditions.
Over half of all adults in England have raised cholesterol (>5mmol/L). It sounds a lot, doesn’t it? Even more reason to share our experiences and knowledge with you.
My colleagues and I meet with patients who have high cholesterol on a daily basis. Some of our patients also have suffered a heart attack or stroke. Others are at risk of heart disease due to their high cholesterol.
We understand and see the health worries our patients experience first-hand, and we take seriously the monitoring of their health and progress for the duration of a clinical trial. We also support them in their new healthily lifestyle choices too.
For me, an important part of my role as a research doctor is sharing health facts with my patients—not just focusing on the clinical research I do with them.
How does cholesterol relate to cardiovascular disease?
Cardiovascular disease is a widely used term, but what does it actually mean?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not just a single condition, it’s a wider term that describes conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels.
Examples of this include:
- Coronary heart disease
- Stroke
- Heart failure
- Peripheral arterial disease
I’m frequently asked how raised cholesterol relates to CVD. It's related because ‘bad cholesterol' is one of many factors which can increase the risk of CVD.
Cholesterol is made by the body in the liver. There are 2 types, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein).
HDL is often referred to as 'good cholesterol' because it is protective.
LDL cholesterol is often referred to as "bad cholesterol" because too much is unhealthy.
Synexus are currently looking for clinical trial volunteers who have raised cholesterol, and take a statin as treatment. If you are interested in finding out more about Synexus, cardiovascular clinical research, and also any opportunities that may be suitable for you:
Call 0800 0270654 with the reference: 131462.
