title: Effects of adherence to guidelines for the control of major cardiovascular risk factors on outcomes in the REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry Europe.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the impact of cardiovascular risk factor control on 3-year cardiovascular event rates in patients with stable symptomatic atherothrombotic disease in Europe.
  
  
  METHODS
  The REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry recruited patients aged ≥45 years with established atherothrombotic disease or three or more risk factors, of whom 20 588 symptomatic patients from 18 European countries were analysed in this study at baseline and 12, 24 and 36 months. 'Good control' of cardiovascular risk factors was defined as three to five risk factors at target values of international guideline recommendations (systolic blood pressure <140 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg, fasting glycaemia <110 mg/dl, total cholesterol <200 mg/dl, non-smoking). Independent predictors of 'good control' of major risk factors were assessed by multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among symptomatic patients in the REACH Registry Europe (mean age 67 years, 70.6% male), 59.4% had good control of risk factors at baseline. Good risk factor control was associated with lower cardiovascular death/non-fatal stroke/non-fatal myocardial infarction (OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.69 to 0.83) and mortality (OR 0.89; 95% CI 0.79 to 0.99) at 36 months, compared with poor control. Independent predictors of good control of risk factors included residence in western versus eastern Europe (OR 1.29), high level of education (OR 1.16), established coronary artery disease (OR 1.18), treatment with one or more antithrombotic (OR 1.59) and one or more lipid-lowering agent (OR 1.16).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In REACH, less than 60% of patients with stable atherothrombotic disease had good control of the five major cardiovascular risk factors. Improved risk factor control is associated with a positive impact on 3-year cardiovascular event rates and mortality.
authors.affiliation: AP HP Service de Médecine Interne, Groupe Hospitalier La Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47-83, Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France. patrice.cacoub@psl.aphp.fr
authors.forename: Patrice P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Cacoub
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Zeymer
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Limbourg
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Baumgartner
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Poldermans
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Röther
authors.forename: Deepak L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Bhatt
authors.forename: Philippe Gabriel
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Steg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012042:Registries; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*