title: Suboptimal management of cardiovascular risk factors in coronary heart disease patients in primary care occurs particularly in women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD) are at the highest risk of further events. Despite proven therapies, secondary prevention is often suboptimal. General practitioners (GPs) are in an ideal position to improve secondary prevention.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To contrast management of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with established CHD in primary care to those in clinical guidelines and according to gender.
  
  
  METHODS
  GPs throughout Australia were approached to participate in a programme incorporating a disease management software (mdCare) program. Participating practitioners (1258 GPs) recruited individual patients whose cardiovascular risk factor levels were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mdCare programme included 12,509 patients (58% male) diagnosed with CHD. Their mean age was 71.7years (intra-quartile range 66-78) for men and 74years (intra-quartile range 68-80) for women. Low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol was above target levels in 69% (2032) of women compared with 58% (2487) in men (P < 0.0001). There was also a higher proportion of women with total cholesterol above target levels (76%, 3592) compared with men (57%, 3787) (P < 0.0001). In patients who were prescribed lipid-lowering medication, 53% (2504) of men and 72% (2285) of women continued to have a total cholesterol higher than recommended target levels (P < 0.0001). Overall, over half (52%, 6538) had at least five cardiovascular risk factors (55% (2914) in women and 50% (3624) in men, P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found less intensive management of cardiovascular risk factors in CHD patients, particularly among women, despite equivalent cardiovascular risk. This study has shown that these patients have multiple risk factors where gender also plays a role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. andrea.driscoll@monash.edu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Driscoll
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beauchamp
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lyubomirsky
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Demos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McNeil
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tonkin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D019468:Disease Management; D004363:Drug Utilization; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D019338:Polypharmacy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents