title: Cardiovascular risk factors in patients discharged from departments of internal medicine---the Italian FADOI-2 study.
abstract: Background: The goal of this study was to describe mean levels, distribution, and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors among patients admitted to departments of internal medicine. Methods: Clinical records were obtained from patients discharged during the last week of October 1999 in 345 departments of internal medicine in Italy. A number of cardiovascular risk factors, diagnoses, and personal characteristics were analyzed in a total of 7476 patients aged 35 years or older. Not all of these personal characteristics were available for each patient. Results: In general, the levels of cardiovascular risk factors present in patients were high, with hypertension and diabetes the most frequently encountered. The risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) over 10 years was estimated using an Italian algorithm that provided high probability levels, mainly among cardiovascular patients (410 per 1000 in 10 years on average in both genders). Overall, 55% of the men and 50% of the women had levels above 200 per 1000 in 10 years, corresponding to the conventional threshold for intensive individual intervention on risk factors. At discharge, about 70% of hypertensive patients were being treated for their condition, while the same was true of only 25% of dyslipidemic patients. Conclusions: Although data are incomplete, the coronary risk profile of patients admitted to departments of internal medicine suggests a high probability of future events. Treatment of risk factors amenable to effective action is still far from optimal, especially in the area of elevated blood lipids.