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.

[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.

Prevalence of renal insufficiency in individuals with hypertension and obesity/overweight: the FATH study.

Overweight and obesity are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Some studies have demonstrated that they also can result in renal damage. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of renal insufficiency (RI), defined as a GFR <60 ml/min per 1.

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.