Endocrine Abstracts

Volume 11

Psychological determinants of metabolic risk

Malcolm Law, University of London, London, UK. Abstract

Malcolm Law is Professor of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine in the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts and The London School of Medicine in the University of London. He qualified in medicine in 1972 from the University of Adelaide, South Australia. He worked in general medicine and chest medicine for some years, particularly at St Marys Hospital and the Brompton Hospital in London. He trained in epidemiology and preventive medicine with Geoffrey Rose at the London School of Hygiene in 1983–1984, and has worked at the Barts site with Professor Wald since 1985. Much of his work has been in the prevention of heart disease and stroke, with seminal publications on salt and blood pressure, serum cholesterol and heart disease, passive smoking and heart disease, and the reasons for the low heart disease mortality in France (the French paradox). Quantification of the effects of changing risk factors on the incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke has been a prominent feature of his work. Publications with Professor Wald and other colleagues on the effect of statins (according to specific statin and dose) on LDL cholesterol and on risk of heart disease and stroke, of the five main categories of blood pressure lowering drug according to dose on blood pressure and on risk of heart disease and stroke, and of folic acid on serum homocysteine and risk of heart disease and stroke led to the calculations of the effect of the Polypill in preventing ischaemic heart disease events by 88% and stroke by 80%.