A change of life in time: how the PESA CNIC-Santander study saves hearts in silence

One in four people in Spain suffers from some type of cardiovascular diseases, which continue to be, for another year, the main cause of mortality in our country. What happens here is not an exception, but rather the confirmation of a rule, since, according to World Health Organization (WHO)this type of disease causes the death of almost every year 18 million people a year and are responsible for 32% of the deaths that occur worldwide.

These are cold data, but shocking. In this context, Banco Santander has been helping research for the early diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular diseases for 15 years. That is the ultimate goal of PESA CNIC-Santander study, in which the Spanish entity participates in close collaboration with the CNIC.

WEIGHING CNIC-Santander studies the cardiovascular health of more than 4,000 professionals of Santander Bank, between 40 and 54 years old since 2010, and has allowed progress in the knowledge of how diseases such as atherosclerosis develop from early stages. Thanks to the use of advanced imaging technology and analysis of blood biomarkers, the study has managed to detect this silent disease before symptoms appear and has laid the foundation for developing new prevention and treatment strategies.

He general director of the CNICthe prestigious Dr. Valentín Fusterand the president of Banco Santander, Ana Botín, They presented the main conclusions reached just before the end of last year. One of the most striking data that this research has revealed is that 63% of asymptomatic participants showed signs of atherosclerosis in a first evaluation.

Studying people who have not had any symptoms of disease is essential to be able to understand how chronic diseases develop, such as the aforementioned atherosclerosis, which often functions as the underlying cause of other subsequent health problems such as myocardial infarctions, strokes, sudden deaths. and even dementia.

This disease, which historically was classified as irreversible and which has obesity among its risk factors, can currently be prevented and alleviated by modifying lifestyle habits and controlling risk factors such as high cholesterol and hypertension.

In the words of Dr. Fuster“the PESA CNIC-Santander study has not only transformed our understanding of cardiovascular disease, but also lays the foundation for developing more effective prevention and treatment strategies, benefiting all of society. “We have laid the foundation to demonstrate that, with appropriate and timely interventions, it is not only possible to prevent the progression of these diseases, but even reverse them.”

For its part, Ana Botín He gave value to public-private collaboration as “essential to address the great challenges of our society, especially in the field of scientific and medical research.” According to the president of Banco Santander, “the PESA CNIC-Santander study is a clear example of how joining efforts can generate significant advances that benefit society as a whole. These types of alliances not only allow us to innovate and lead in the scientific field, but also reflect our commitment to contributing to the well-being and health of people.”

Since this study has been carried out, it has been found that even a small daily change in lifestyle can make a difference. By applying a program to promote healthy habits in 500 participants of the PESA CNIC-Santander project, a significant improvement was observed in physical activity, a reduction in sedentary lifestyle and a decrease in cholesterol and blood pressure, compared to an equivalent group of another 500 subjects who did not receive this intervention.

During the presentation of the conclusions, the participation of Banco Santander in the REACT projectalso led by the CNIC, with the collaboration of the Rigshospitalet, the most important public health center in Denmark. The objective will be to analyze the cardiovascular health of 16,000 peoplebetween 20 and 70 years old, of whom half will be Spanish and with a significant proportion of employees, family members and service providers of Banco Santander.

Using the most sophisticated technology to analyze blood biomarkers, the REACT project will have a first phase in which non-invasive imaging studies of different arterial territories will be carried out and a second in which personalized strategies will be developed to intervene in the initial phases of the atherosclerosis and reduce the impact of the disease on the population.