Residents of Aragon with risk factors for cardiovascular disease visit their family doctor 10 times a year.

Aragonese with risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as diabetes, hypertension or hypercholesterolemia, They visit their primary care physician an average of 10 times a year and 7 times for nurse consultations. In addition, two thirds require help from other specialties such as nephrology, endocrinology and cardiology. This can be seen from the analysis carried out on the data 557,999 patients over 16 years of age with these cardiovascular risk factors in Aragon.integrated into the CARhES project (Cardiovascular Risk Factors for Health Services Study).

Research group of the Aragon Health Service (Grissa) led by Maria José Rabanache., professor at the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zaragoza and researcher at the Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón), developed this project, funded by the Foundation for Medical Research (FIS), whose main investigators are Isabel Aguilar and Sara Malo. In addition, Grissa’s group includes researchers from the University of Zaragoza and various services of the Aragonese Health Service and the Ministry of Health.

Since 2017, the CARhES project has been studying the evolution of all patients at cardiovascular risk in Aragon., thanks to information obtained from data from the Aragonese Health System. Thus, each time a patient has contact with the health care system (visiting their primary care physician, receiving a prescription, etc.), an information record is created. All this information is integrated and can finally be used by researchers to does not allow identification of subjects, compliance with all requirements applicable to this highly sensitive information.

High use of consultations and medications

The results of this study show that patients with cardiovascular risk factors in Aragon They make extensive use of counseling and medication. In its turn, People with diabetes are the highest users of health care services and are most likely to be hospitalized and visit the emergency department.compared with people with hypertension or hypercholesterolemia. They also have the highest rates of medication consumption.

Regarding pharmacological treatment, Each patient with high cholesterol was prescribed an average of 6.8 treatments. different during the year, for example, treatment of various health problems, while in patients with diabetes this figure was higher – 8.2. 88% of patients diagnosed with hypertension were prescribed medications to lower blood pressure.

Aging and the rise of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, causes disability, reduces quality of life, and has serious economic consequences. High incidence of risk factors, as well as an aging population, seem to indicate that their frequency and influence will continue in the coming decades, with an increase in some more vulnerable populations.

Prevention of cardiovascular diseases, both at the population and individual levels, is a priority of modern healthcare systems.. Better control over the factors influencing its appearance.diseases such as blood pressure, smoking or obesity, reduces the likelihood of illness and therefore fewer cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks or strokes, which will mean fewer hospital admissions for these diseases.

There are population groups with a higher frequency of risk factors and a greater likelihood of these pathologies. It should also be noted that, despite the availability of clinical recommendations, There are significant differences in the way patients are cared for. These differences or inequalities depend on the characteristics of the patients, the professionals involved, and the health care system.

Where a person lives, their socioeconomic level, their social and family environment, their age or gender can also help identify groups in the population that use health care resources differently from others and that Therefore, they may experience better or worse health outcomes.