For centuries medicine progressed very slowly 1 , and in the past fifty years its development has been "blindingly fast" and difficult to keep up with, and made the means of communication, especially IT, indispensable. At each step of this progression the health profile faced by medicine went through changes thus changing the medical reasoning.We could say that Health Profiles are changes in the main focus of the medical care as a consequence of the evolution of our civilization and of medicine itself.
EvidencesThroughout all those years of medical evolution, the Health Profile consequently went through changes and physicians had to keep up, adapt and change their attitudes and decisions.The purpose of this article is to attempt to show in an instructive and comprehensible manner how some events that modified the Health Profiles unfolded, and which were their repercussions on chronic degenerative diseases (CDD), and especially on cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
Health profiles: changes and their causesSome of the changes that influenced the main focus of medical care were: -Epidemiological changes occurred when CVD, among the CDD, became the major cause of death as of the second half of the 20th century, with deep changes in medical behavior, therapies, and public health and their population-targeted programs.-Changes of stage of demographic transition: The Brazilian population is now comprised of more adult and elderly individuals because of the decrease in mortality and birth rates. This led to percentage changes of age ranges with a significant increase of elderly individuals.-The great structural changes in the world that modified a whole habitation and population structure that occurred between the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, with industrialization and subsequent movement of the rural population into the cities.-Changes with time evolution of medicine: We have an initial phase that lasted several centuries and could be called Medicine Based on Observation and Experience, and the current one which began in mid-20th century: the Medicine Based on Evidence. Medicine which was curative until then and treated CVD complications became more preventive.-Changes with the valuation of RF in CVD: With the valuation of RF in CVD emerges the Primary Prevention for CDD, especially for CVD. This was only possible thanks to principles that arose with the Medicine Based on Evidence. With them, RF for CVD were evidenced. And what was unthinkable until then: a whole range of possibilities to make primary prevention arose.
Epidemiological changesContagious diseases predominated until 1950, accounting for 40% of deaths. As of 1990, CDD started to predominate, and among them CVD with 34.5% of deaths, whereas contagious diseases dropped to 12% 2-4 . Notions of hygiene and knowledge on transmitters and etiologic agents of contagious diseases led to a reduction of these diseases, thus reducing mortality of younger individuals. This occurred earlier in the currently called developed countries. A consequ...