LSUHSC awarded $10M+ COBRE grant(rdiovascular disease is disproportionate...)

According to the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics, an estimated 79.4 million American adults, or one in three, have one or more types of cardiovascular disease. These include high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and congenital cardiovascular defects. Cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in America, with an average death of one death every 36 seconds. Cardiovascular disease claims more lives each year than cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents and diabetes mellitus combined.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospital's and the American Heart Association's 2005 Louisiana State of the Heart and Stroke Report, cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, was the number one killer of Louisianians in 2002, accounting for 35% of all deaths. In 2002, Louisiana had the ninth highest mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease and twelfth highest mortality rate for stroke when compared to all states and D.C.

Carotid artery disease is an important cause of cerebrovascular disease and continues to be a major health care problem, contributing to at least 200,000 cases of stroke each year in the United States. In almost half of these cases, death follows within a year.

"In addition to the value of research programs like this in terms of lives saved and improved quality of life, the LSUHSC research enterprise is a robust economic engine, attracting millions of outside dollars to the city and state that also support jobs in a highly desirable industry," said Dr. Steve Nelson, Dean of LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans' School of Medicine.

NCRR's Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) support thematic multidisciplina
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