SECONDARY PREVENTION OF MYOCARDIAL-INFARC TION IN SPAIN - PREVESE STUDY

Introduction and objectives. We present the results from the PREVESE S tudy, conducted in two phases: the first to identify the secondary pre vention measurements recommended in Spain in patients who were dischar ged after a myocardial infarction; the second, 6 months later, to dete rmine their evolution. Methods. Data was collected from 1,242 patients in 39 hospitals. An analysis was made of the patients' background, ri sk factors, working status, diagnostic procedures used during hospital ization, laboratory findings and drug therapy prescribed at discharge. At the second control, the risk factors status, diagnostic or assesme nt tests performed during the g-month period, working status, mortalit y and cardiac events were revised. Results. The previous history and r isk factors studied showed a high risk profile among patients after my ocardial infarction. Among the drug therapies prescribed at discharge the small percentage (6.7%) of lipid lowering prescriptions should be highlighted. An improvement in the risk factor profile was found at th e six month checkup with a substantial reduction in the number of smok ers, a very low number of hypertensives and an improvement in physical activity. There was no improvement in total-cholesterol levels. Concl usions. The implementation of preventive measures is not similar in al l risk factors. An improvement is reached in prevention of smoking hab it and hypertension, but not in the treatment of abnormal levels of hy perlipidemia.