title: [Cardiovascular diseases: toward an optimal use of clinical biological laboratories].
abstract: Cardiovascular diseases are a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in our country. The early detection of risk factors by laboratory tests and the subsequent preventive treatment may have a substantial beneficial effect on public health. However, since these tests are performed on large populations, they must be chosen with caution, in order to optimise their cost/ effectiveness ratio. Savings obtained by the judicious use of the clinical lab could allow, already in 1996, the reimbursement of some new informative tests, like the plasma homocysteine and the LDL-cholesterol, and later, of the lipoprotein (a), all tests which are presently at the charge of the patient.
authors.affiliation: Département de Biologie Clinique, Hôpital Erasme, Bruxelles.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Boeynaems
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Capel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serruys
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wautrecht
mesh_terms: D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids