[Continuing care of patients with cardiovascular risk in general practice: patients with dyslipidemia and their care].

INTRODUCTION

The role of dyslipidemia is essential in the development of atherosclerosis, therefore continuing care of dyslipidemic patients is an extremely important task in cardiovascular prevention.

AIMS

This study was aimed to investigate continuing care of dyslipidemic patients in general practices. Method of the study was a questionnaire survey, 397 patients of 39 general practices were involved into the study.

RESULTS

The cause of their continuing care was hypercholesterolemia in 91.7%, hypertriglyceridemia in 69%, decreased HDL-C in 18.4%, and these alterations frequently occurred together. Hypertension in 77%, disturbances of carbohydrate metabolism in 41.7%, increased BMI in 43.2% were found. Patients were smokers in 26.5%, given up smoking in 13.2%. They had cardiovascular problems in 56.5%, cerebrovascular problems in 18.6% and peripheral vascular ones in 20.3%. Patients were treated with lipid lowering drugs in 87.7%, statins were used in 81.7%, fibrates in 29.6% and both of them in 11.5%. The main results of continuing care were: in the whole group frequency of cholesterol level > 5.2 mmol/l decreased by 13%, frequency of triglyceride level >1.7 mmol/l decreased by 4%; cholesterol target values were reached in 3% of patients with high cardiovascular risk, in 22.2% of patients with medium risk, and in 66.7% of patients with mild risk.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that there is a need for more intensive drug treatment of dyslipidemic patients to reach the target lipid levels, and for regular assessment of continuing care of these patients.