Different prognostic value of silent peripheral artery disease in type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic subjects with stable cardiovascular disease.

Objective: ABI is a good predictor of morbidity and mortality in diabetic subjects with no known cardiovascular disease. However, its prognostic value in diabetic patients with prior coronary or cerebrovascular disease has not previously been evaluated.

Methods: Multicenter, prospective study of 1 year of follow-up, in 1096 patients (73.

Factors associated with therapeutic inertia in hypertension: validation of a predictive model.

Objective: To study factors associated with therapeutic inertia in treating hypertension and to develop a predictive model to estimate the probability of therapeutic inertia in a given medical consultation, based on variables related to the consultation, patient, physician, clinical characteristics, and level of care.

Methods: National, multicentre, observational, cross-sectional study in primary care and specialist (hospital) physicians who each completed a questionnaire on therapeutic inertia, provided professional data and collected clinical data on four patients. Therapeutic inertia was defined as a consultation in which treatment change was indicated (i.

Factors associated with the discontinuation of evidence-based cardiovascular therapies in patients with stable coronary artery disease: a primary care perspective.

Background: To identify factors associated with the discontinuation of evidence-based cardiovascular therapies after hospital discharge for a coronary event.

Design: Cross-sectional study carried out between June and October 2004 in 1799 primary care centers throughout Spain.

Patients And Methods: Eight thousand eight hundred and seventeen patients (73.

[Prevalence of asymptomatic peripheral artery disease detected by the ankle-brachial index in patients with cardiovascular disease. MERITO II study].

Background And Objective: Patients with polyvascular disease have an increased rate of cardiovascular events and death. Their identification would define a subgroup of the population at very high risk, who would be candidates to intensified preventive measures. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of subclinical peripheral artery disease in subjects with a previous diagnosis of vascular disease in other territories.

[Occult chronic kidney disease in patients with stable coronary heart disease].

Background And Objective: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases cardiovascular risk mainly in subjects with coronary heart disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of occult CKD (OCKD) in stable coronary heart disease patients and to study the factors associated in order to improve its detection.

Patients And Method: Cross sectional study of 7,884 patients who had had a coronary event requiring hospitalization in the previous 6 months to 10 years.

Gender differences in evidence-based pharmacological therapy for patients with stable coronary heart disease.

Background: Women have a higher morbidity and mortality than men after an acute coronary event. We analyzed the prescription rates of evidence-based pharmacological therapies for patients with stable coronary heart disease and whether there were any differences with respect to gender.

Design: This cross-sectional study evaluated 8817 patients, 26.

Achievement of therapeutic goals and utilization of evidence-based cardiovascular therapies in coronary heart disease patients with chronic kidney disease.

To evaluate whether the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) influenced the rate of prescription of evidence-based cardiovascular preventive therapies and attainment of therapeutic goals in patients with stable coronary heart disease, 7,884 patients (mean age 65.4 years; 81.7% men; 22.

[Value of the ankle-brachial index in cardiovascular risk stratification of patients without known atherotrombotic disease. MERITO study].

Background And Objectives: Peripheral arterial disease detected by measurement of ankle-brachial index enables the identification of asymptomatic patients with target organ damage. We have investigated the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (ankle-brachial index < 0.9), and its potential clinical-therapeutic impact, in patients without known atherotrombotic disease from internal medicine practices.

[Cardiovascular risk profile of uncontrolled hypertensive patients. The Control-Project study].

Background And Objective: To assess absolute cardiovascular risk and co-morbidities in uncontrolled hypertensive patients (blood pressure [BP]>or=140/90 mmHg or>or=130/80 mmHg in diabetics) attending Primary Care Physicians in Spain, and to determine the attitudes of these physicians towards this problem.

Patients And Method: Cross-sectional, multicenter study involving 356 general practitioners around Spain. Absolute cardiovascular risk was assessed according to ESH-ESC 2003 Guidelines in a sample of 1,710 patients.

Evidence-based cardiovascular therapies and achievement of therapeutic goals in diabetic patients with coronary heart disease attended in primary care.

Background: Diabetic patients have a higher rate of recurrent cardiovascular events and death than nondiabetic individuals. Although partially attributable to lower use of evidence-based preventive therapies, studies are lacking on the prescription rate during the stable phase of the disease.

Methods: Between June 1 and October 19, 2004, we obtained, from 1799 primary care centers throughout Spain, data on 8817 subjects (mean age 65.

Relationship between ankle-brachial index and chronic kidney disease in hypertensive patients with no known cardiovascular disease.

Both decreased GFR and albuminuria are associated with an elevated prevalence of peripheral artery disease. However, the combined effects of these alterations previously were not evaluated. Patients with hypertension and with no known vascular disease (n = 955; mean age 66 yr; 56% male) were selected from internal medicine outpatient clinics throughout Spain.

Cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetic patients: multifactorial intervention in primary care.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Intervention on cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) is essential to obtain clinical results reducing the excess of cardiovascular risk (CVR) in these patients.

Methods: The objective of this study was to describe the association of type 2 DM with modifiable cardiovascular risk factors and the degree of control of these in a population of type 2 diabetics in attendance in primary care clinics, and also to establish prospectively whether an integral and multifactorial intervention on uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors, carried out in conditions of routine clinical practice by applying an open protocol, could significantly reduce the estimated CVR according to the Framingham scale.