Underrecognition and undertreatment of atherothrombotic diseases: REACH Registry Taiwan baseline data.
OBJECTIVE
Atherothrombosis is a generalized disease affecting different vascular beds, making it the leading cause of death worldwide. To evaluate the long-term risk of atherothrombotic risk factors and determine the predictors for atherothrombotic events, an international, prospective, observational study was initiated, in which Taiwan was involved.


METHODS
The REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry recruited outpatients with either symptomatic atherothrombotic diseases or multiple risk factors. Baseline data were collected using a universal standard case report form. All subjects were followed to document future outcomes. In this paper, we analyzed the baseline data of the participants from Taiwan.


RESULTS
In the REACH Registry, a total of 67,888 subjects from 44 countries were recruited. Among the 1062 Taiwanese participants, 971 were symptomatic subjects and 91 subjects were with risk factors only (RFO). In comparison with the global participants, the Taiwan patients were younger, with a higher prevalence of males, lower prevalence of hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, former smokers, and a greater prevalence of non-smokers. The baseline prevalence rates were: hypertension, 46.5%; fasting hyperglycemia, 38.4%; hypercholesterolemia, 45.8%; and hypertriglyceridemia, 42.8%. All these prevalence were higher than the global data, indicating an undertreatment status for the Taiwanese patients. Only 29 (2.7%) peripheral arterial disease (PAD) subjects were recruited in Taiwan, suggesting under recognition of this disease. The RFO Taiwanese patients had fewer former smokers and more non-smokers than the symptomatic patients, suggesting that smoking may be an important factor contributing to atherothrombotic diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
In Taiwan, atherothrombotic outpatients were generally undertreated and PAD was underdiagnosed.
Department of Neurology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
Tain-Junn
TJ
Cheng
Yuan-Kai
YK
Hsieh
Shan-Jin
SJ
Ryu
Wen-Ter
WT
Lai
Huei-Ming
HM
Lo
Mao-Lin
ML
Sung
Wen-Long
WL
Tsao
Ping-Keung
PK
Yip
Chiau-Suong
CS
Liau
D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013624:Taiwan; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*