title: Time trends in preventive drug treatment after myocardial infarction in older patients.
abstract: Secondary preventive drug treatment in patients aged > or =60 years with a history of myocardial infarction was investigated for age-dependent differences in time trends. Sixteen general practices in the Netherlands participated. Preventive treatment with at least three of four drugs (antithrombotics, statins, beta-blockers, and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) increased significantly over time in all three age strata of older patients. Although the greatest relative increase (2.2 times greater) took place in patients aged > or =80 years, these patients consistently had most room for improvement.
authors.affiliation: Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden, The Netherlands. w.de_ruijter@lumc.nl
authors.forename: Wouter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: de Ruijter
authors.forename: Margot W M
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: de Waal
authors.forename: Jacobijn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gussekloo
authors.forename: Willem J J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Assendelft
authors.forename: Jeanet W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Blom
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents