Many cardiovascular deaths in Europe could be prevented with better
care
23 Nov 2010
Results from a large pan-European study indicate that many of
the 4.3 million annual deaths in Europe could be avoided if at-risk
patients received better preventative care.
The European Study on Cardiovascular Risk Prevention and
Management in Daily Practice (EURIKA), which was funded by
AstraZeneca, estimated the proportion of deaths associated with risk
factors for CVD, and assessed how well those risk factors are
managed.
Results confirmed that people with one or more risk factors —
such as smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and
obesity — have an increased chance of dying from CVD and,
worryingly, that these risk factors are not being managed
effectively in daily clinical practice which could lead to an
excessive number of deaths from CVD.
The experts behind the study believe that through better
identification and management of these risk factors, a large
proportion of coronary deaths across Europe could be avoided.
Professor Jean Dallongeville from the Institut Pasteur de Lille,
Lille Cedex, France, one of the experts behind the study, said:
"These results show us just how crucial it is to manage CVD risk
factors effectively — doing so could save thousands of lives across
Europe each year, but unfortunately there is still work to be done.
With the EURIKA study findings we have a better understanding of
where the gaps are and what we can do to reduce the number of
avoidable deaths moving forward."
One-third of EURIKA study patients were considered to be at high
risk of fatal cardiovascular disease. The study included 7,641
subjects over the age of 50 who did not have CVD, but had at least
one risk factor for the condition.
The experts involved in the study estimated the increased risk of
death associated with each risk factor. They found that smokers had
a 17% increased risk of CVD death, with rates increasing to 23% for
those with high blood pressure, 26% for those with poorly managed
cholesterol and 30% for those with diabetes.
Additional findings showed that amongst patients being treated
for a risk factor for CVD, nearly two-thirds (60%) did not have
their risk factor managed to the standards set by European
guidelines.
Use of available risk assessment tools and CVD guidelines
As part of the EURIKA study, 806 doctors were surveyed to
understand their use of risk assessment tools and guidelines and
explored factors which influenced how often they were used.
As many as 30% of doctors said they did not use risk assessment
tools at all and nearly 13% of doctors said they did not follow
guidelines on the management of cardiovascular risk, citing reasons
including time constraints, lack of usefulness and inadequate
understanding of risk assessment tools and guidelines as the key
reasons.
Professor Julian Halcox, Cardiff University, UK, another of the
experts behind the study, concluded: "These systems exist to help
doctors identify and manage risk factors well before they become a
problem, but we now see that they are widely under-utilised across
Europe. It is vital that doctors use these tools effectively to
assess and communicate risk whenever they evaluate a patient — in
doing so they will help reduce the excessive number of preventable
deaths in Europe each year."
The findings, announced at the International Society For
Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) annual meeting, are
the first results from the study. Further data, including a
country-by-country breakdown of results, are expected in 2011. The
EURIKA study was funded by AstraZeneca as part of its ongoing
commitment to improving the management of CVD and its risk factors.
The study was designed, executed and analysed by an independent
panel of academic experts from across Europe.
About the EURIKA Study
The European Study on Cardiovascular Risk Prevention and
Management in Daily Practice (EURIKA) was a large public health
study funded by AstraZeneca to assess the level of control of the
main risk factors which can lead to CVD. The study was conducted
across 12 European countries including Austria, Belgium, France,
Germany, Greece, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey
and the UK. These countries were selected to represent the whole
spectrum of CVD risk, risk factor control, and organisation of
health-care services across Europe. Data collection started in May
2009 and was completed in January 2010.