Excess Risk from Cardiovascular Factors in Europe
Author Information
Author(s): Eliseo Guallar, José R Banegas, Elena Blasco-Colmenares, F Javier Jiménez, Jean Dallongeville, Julian P Halcox, Claudio Borghi, Elvira L Massó-González, Mónica Tafalla, Joep Perk, Guy De Backer, Philippe G Steg, Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo
Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Hypothesis
What is the excess risk of cardiovascular disease attributable to traditional risk factors in primary care settings across Europe?
Conclusion
Lack of control of cardiovascular risk factors was responsible for almost 30% of the risk of cardiovascular death among patients participating in the EURIKA Study.
Supporting Evidence
- Hypertension accounted for 32.7% of cardiovascular risk.
- Dyslipidemia was responsible for 15.1% of cardiovascular risk.
- Smoking contributed to 10.4% of cardiovascular risk.
- Diabetes accounted for 16.4% of cardiovascular risk.
- Control of risk factors could reduce the estimated 10-year risk of CVD death by 3.12%.
- 57.7% of CVD risk was attributable to the four main risk factors combined.
- Almost 30% of CVD mortality risk was due to lack of control of risk factors.
Takeaway
Doctors need to help patients control their heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes, because not doing so can lead to a lot of heart problems.
Methodology
Cross-sectional study using data from the EURIKA study involving primary care and outpatient clinics in 12 European countries.
Potential Biases
Potential underestimation of smoking prevalence and associated risks due to reliance on self-reported data.
Limitations
The study relied on self-reported data and may not account for all risk factors; it also focused only on patients already under clinical care.
Participant Demographics
Participants were primarily over 50 years old, with a balanced gender distribution (51.8% women).
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% confidence interval for key results provided.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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