[Questionnaire for patients with ischaemic cardiopathy on their reaction to various alarm symptoms].
OBJECTIVE
To find the degree of information that patients with ischaemic cardiopathy (IC) possess and their behaviour on alarm symptoms (thoracic pain of ischaemic profile under stress, at rest, worsening under stress and for over 20'), how they manage sub-lingual nitro-glycerine (SLNTG), and the source of their information.


METHODS
Transversal descriptive study based on personal interview and our own questionnaire, from September to December 2001.


METHODS
Primary Care. Six clinics in three urban Health Areas.Participants. Randomised sample of 98 patients with IC (stable angina, unstable angina, angina with infarct).


RESULTS
93 people (57 male, 36 women) were surveyed. Their average age was 71 19.34 had diagnosis of infarct. 17.2% (95% CI, 9.5%24.9%) had no SLNTG available. 78.5% (95% CI; 70.2%-86.8%) and 81.7% (95% CI; 73.8%-89.6%) of those with angina under stress or at rest, respectively, did not know when to attend the hospital Emergency department. 37.8% (95% CI, 26.8%-48.8%) with steady stress angina would attend a hospital or their doctor urgently. 100% of patients had received no information on angina at rest, under steady stress and for over 20'. There was no difference in behaviour before stress angina between patients who had been informed by Primary Care and those informed by Specialists. There was a difference, though, for good use of SLNTG between infarct and non-infarct patients (p = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
Our cardiopaths do not recognise alarm signals quickly; and so do not benefit as well as they might from hospital treatment. No doctor (Primary Care or specialist) informed them of the different ways to confront stable and unstable angina. Only a very small number used SLNTG in stress angina properly and knew when to attend Casualty. There is an urgent need to improve the health education of our cardiopaths.
López de la Iglesia
J
J
Centro de Salud Condesa. León. España. saul-ea@mixmail.com
Martínez Ramos
E
E
Pardo Franco
L
L
Escudero Alvarez
S
S
Cañón de la Parra
R I
RI
Costas Mira
M T
MT
D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D004630:Emergencies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage
D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D005996:Nitroglycerin