title: Trends in cardiovascular risk factors among patients with coronary heart disease: results from the EUROASPIRE I, II, and III surveys in the Münster region.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Target values for cardiovascular risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) are stated in guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. We studied secular trends in risk factors over a 12-year period among CHD patients in the region of Münster, Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional EUROASPIRE I, II and III surveys were performed in multiple centers across Europe. For all three, the Münster region was the participating German region. In the three periods 1995/96, 1999/2000, and 2006/07, the surveys included (respectively) 392, 402 and 457 ≤ 70-year-old patients with CHD in Münster who had sustained a coronary event at least 6 months earlier.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of smoking remained unchanged, with 16.8% in EUROASPIRE I and II and 18.4% in EUROASPIRE III (p=0.898). On the other hand, high blood pressure and high cholesterol both became less common across the three EUROASPIRE studies (60.7% to 69.4% to 55.3%, and 94.3% to 83.4% to 48.1%, respectively; p<0.001 for both). Obesity became more common (23.0% to 30.6% to 43.1%, p<0.001), as did treatment with antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs (80.4% to 88.6% to 94.3%, and 35.0% to 67.4% to 87.0%, respectively; p<0.001 for both).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed trends in cardiovascular risk factors under-score the vital need for better preventive strategies in patients with CHD.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prugger
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heidrich
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wellmann
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dittrich
authors.forename: Stefan-Martin
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brand
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Telgmann
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Breithardt
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Reinecke
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scheld
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kleine-Katthöfer
authors.forename: Peter U
authors.initials: PU
authors.lastname: Heuschmann
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Keil
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends