The European Society of Cardiology together with other partner Societies has engaged in a comprehensive programme of prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) since 1994. Guidelines on this important topic have been developed and updated at regular intervals over the last 13 years, most recently in 2007.
The implementation of these guidelines is facilitated by the Joint European Prevention Committee and the new European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation through a network of national coordinators all over Europe. Results are evaluated with audit surveys called EUROASPIRE starting in the mid-nineties with EUROASPIRE I, EUROASPIRE II at the turn of the millennium and EUROASPIRE III in 2006/07. This third EUROASPIRE survey has evaluated how effectively these recommendations have been implemented in daily practice in relation to the standards set in the Third Joint European Task Force guidelines on CVD prevention in 2003.
All three EUROASPIRE surveys have evaluated how patients with established CVD, who are the top clinical priority, are being managed, but in this third survey, the second priority group of asymptomatic individuals who are at high risk of developing CVD have been addressed. These apparently healthy individuals are at increased total CV risk because of markedly raised levels of blood pressure, cholesterol or the development of diabetes.
This "primary care arm" of EUROASPIRE III took place in 12 European countries in close collaboration with General Practitioners. Asymptomatic subjects, free of CVD, were identified and invited to participate if they fulfilled the following conditions:
- Men and women aged < 80 years;
- Free of clinical CVD;
- Either started on drug therapy for arterial hypertension;
- On lipid lowering drugs or treated with diet;
- On hypoglycaemics or insuline because of type 2 diabetes for at least six months, but not more than three years prior to this study
Volunteers were seen by trained technicians for an interview and examination using standardised methods and central laboratory measurement of lipids and glucose.
A total of 4366 individuals participated (78% of all eligible patients): 58% females, mean age approximately 60 years. 2853 were on drug treatment for arterial hypertension, 1529 on lipid lowering drugs and 1031 were treated for type 2 diabetes.