[Lipid-lowering therapy in patients with coronary disease: proportion of patients requiring treatment according to recommendations of the Swiss Society of Cardiology].
BACKGROUND
Recent studies have confirmed that treatment with lipid-lowering drugs decreases cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in primary as well as secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. In 1999, new Swiss recommendations for treatment with lipid-lowering drugs have been published. We therefore performed a study to estimate the proportion of patients with coronary artery disease requiring lipid-lowering drugs.


METHODS
We included 637 patients with coronary heart disease who were referred for coronary angiography during 1991-1993. We calculated the proportion of patients requiring lipid-lowering drugs according to the new Swiss guidelines, and compared them with European and US guidelines.


RESULTS
According to the 1999 Swiss recommendations, 79% of the study population would have qualified for lipid-lowering treatment (males 80%, females 78%; patients aged up to 69 years 80%, patients aged 70 years and over 73%). Agreement with both the Recommendations of the Second Joint Task Force of European and other Societies on Coronary Prevention, and the ACC/AHA Guidelines for Management of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction, was 96% (Kappa 0.79 and 0.83 respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
A large proportion of patients with coronary artery disease qualifies for treatment with lipid-lowering drugs. The new Swiss recommendations closely agree with European and US guidelines.
Muntwyler
J
J
Departement Innere Medizin, Universitätsspital Zürich. joerg.muntwyler@DIM.usz.ch
Amann
F W
FW
Gutzwiller
F
F
Follath
F
F
D000368:Aged; D002309:Cardiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013557:Switzerland; D014481:United States
D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents