Episode 8 - A Diverse Patient Population and Its Challenges

According to Dr. Michael Weber, many patients will often present at the physician’s office with previously undiagnosed or unrecognized risk factors, which occurs frequently with high blood pressure, lipid disorders, and diabetes. Consequently, initial therapeutic strategies must be aggressive to properly control those who are truly at high risk. However, according to the panelists, not all patients are the same, not all patients are diagnosed at the same time, and there are countless variables that may impact the trajectory of a disease state. Therefore, it is vital to emphasize and drive personalized medicine with individualized goals. While there are contentions among different patient populations regarding the merits of pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modifications, the panelists believe that a comprehensive and balanced strategy is what will garner the most beneficial outcomes.