[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic above a universal electronic consultation program (e-consultation) between general practitioners and cardiologists]. / Impacto de la pandemia por COVID-19 sobre un programa de consulta electrónica universal (e-consulta) entre médicos de Atención Primaria y cardiólogos.

Blackground and objective: Virtual healthcare models, usually between healthcare professionals and patients, have developed strongly during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but there are not data of models between clinicians. Our objective is to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activity and health outcomes of the universal e-consultation program for patient referrals between primary care physicians and the Cardiology Department in our area. Methods: Patients with at least one e-consultation between 2018 and 2021 were selected. We analysed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on activity and waiting time for care, hospitalizations and mortality, taking as a reference the consultations carried out during 2018. Results: We analysed 25,121 patients. Through logistic regression analysis, it was observed that a shorter delay in care and resolution of the e-consultation without the need for face-to-face care were associated with a better prognosis. The COVID-19 pandemic periods (2019-2020 and 2020-2021) were not associated with worse health outcomes compared to 2018. Conclusions: The results of our study show a significant reduction in e-consult referrals during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic with a subsequent recovery in the demand for care without the pandemic periods being associated with worse outcomes. The reduction in the time elapsed for solving the e-consult and no need for in-person visit were associated with better outcomes.

[Current situation of direct oral anticoagulants in primary care in Spain: Positioning of SEMERGEN in 2023]. / Situación actual de los anticoagulantes orales de acción directa en atención primaria de España. Posicionamiento de SEMERGEN en 2023.

Oral anticoagulation is the key to reduce the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation. Although vitaminK antagonists (VKA) have classically been used for this purpose, they have been largely overcome by direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), as demonstrated by evidence from clinical trials, real-life and population studies. In fact, all clinical practice guidelines recommend their use preferentially over VKA. However, in Spain the prescription of DOAC is subordinated to an inspection visa that includes the clinical conditions defined in the Therapeutic Positioning Report of the Spanish Medicines Agency, and that still imposes important restrictions on their use, limiting the benefits of using DOACs in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), and also generating inequalities between the different autonomous communities. In fact, the use of DOAC in Spain is much lower than that observed in neighboring countries. This has made that while in other countries the incidence of ischemic stroke has decreased at the population level, along with a reduction in the cost per patient with AF, in Spain this decrease has been modest. For all these reasons, and for assuring the sustainability of the health care system, we ask for the elimination of the visa so that DOAC can be prescribed according to the recommendations made by the guidelines. In addition, we are also committed to reinforce medical education and decisions made by consensus with the patient, with the primary care physician acquiring a key role in the protection of the patient with AF.

Prevalence, impact and management of hypertension-mediated organ damage in type 2 diabetes patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence, impact and management of hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) according to the presence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). METHODS: IBERICAN is an ongoing multicenter, observational and prospective study, including outpatients aged 18-85 years who attended the Primary Care setting in Spain. In this study, the prevalence, impact and management of HMOD according to the presence of T2DM at baseline were analyzed. RESULTS: At baseline, 8066 patients (20.2% T2DM, 28.6% HMOD) were analyzed. Among patients with T2DM, 31.7% had hypertension, 29.8% dyslipidemia and 29.4% obesity and 49.3% had ≥1 HMOD, mainly high pulse pressure (29.6%), albuminuria (16.2%) and moderate renal impairment (13.6%). The presence of T2DM significantly increased the risk of having CV risk factors and HMOD. Among T2DM population, patients with HMOD had more dyslipidemia (78.2% vs 70.5%; P=0.001), hypertension (75.4% vs 66.4%; P=0.001), any CV disease (39.6% vs 16.1%; P=0.001) and received more drugs. Despite the majority of types of glucose-lowering agents were more frequently taken by those patients with HMOD, compared to the total T2DM population, the use of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists was marginal. CONCLUSIONS: In patients daily attended in primary care setting in Spain, one in five patients had T2DM and nearly half of these patients had HMOD. In patients with T2DM, the presence of HMOD was associated with a higher risk of CV risk factors and CV disease. Despite the very high CV risk, the use of glucose-lowering agents with proven CV benefit was markedly low.

Prevalence of suspected abuse of non-institutionalized older people treated in primary care. PRESENCIA study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of suspected abuse of non-institutionalised elderly people and the associated variables. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, multicentre study in patients aged 65 years or older, non-institutionalised, consecutively selected in primary care (PC). The EASI questionnaires (Suspected Elderly Abuse Index), the EAI questionnaire (Suspected Abuse Index in patients with cognitive impairment), the Barthel index, and the EUROQOL-5D questionnaire were used with patients, and the CASE questionnaire and the Zarit test were used with caregivers. Socio-demographic, health, and quality of life variables were analysed in all patients. RESULTS: Eight hundred four patients were included, mean age 78.9±7.9 years, 58.3% women. The prevalence of suspected abuse was 11.3% (95% CI: 9.1%-13.9%). Suspected abuse was more frequent in women than in men (14.4% vs. 7.1%; odds ratio (OR)=1.97; 95% CI=1.1-3.4; p=0.016) and in those who lived with two or more people compared to those who lived alone (18.4% vs. 7.3%; OR=2.42; 95% CI=1.1-5.0; p=0.017). Among older patients, the lower their dependency, the lower the prevalence of suspected abuse (30.0% in highly dependent vs. 8.7% in non-dependent: p-trend=0.006); and the better the perceived health status, the lower the prevalence of suspected abuse (29.6% in poor health status vs. 6.9% in optimal health status; p-trend=<0.001). Among caregivers, the prevalence of suspected abuse was 20.4% (95% CI=12.8%-28.0%). A trend of higher prevalence of suspected abuse could be observed with higher scores on the CASE questionnaire (56.3% at high risk and 9.6% with no risk of abuse; p-trend=0.007). In the case of the ZARIT questionnaire with scores below 47, the prevalence of suspected abuse was 9.1%, and for scores above 55, it was 52.6% (p-trend<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the PRESENCIA study show that approximately 1 in 10 patients aged ≥65 meet the criteria for suspected abuse. The probability of abuse increases in women, in patients with greater dependency and in patients with poorer perceived health status. Caregivers with greater overload and greater risk presented a greater suspicion of elder abuse.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon a universal electronic consultation program (e-consultation) between general practitioners and cardiologists.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Virtual healthcare models, usually between healthcare professionals and patients, have developed strongly during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but there are no data corresponding to models between clinicians. An analysis was made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon the activity and health outcomes of the universal e-consultation program for patient referrals between primary care physicians and the Cardiology Department in our healthcare area. METHODS: Patients with at least one e-consultation between 2018 and 2021 were selected. We analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon activity and waiting time for care, hospitalizations and mortality, taking as reference the consultations carried out during 2018. RESULTS: A total of 25,121 patients were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis showed a shorter delay in care and resolution of the e-consultation without the need for face-to-face care to be associated to a better prognosis. The COVID-19 pandemic periods (2019-2020 and 2020-2021) were not associated to poorer health outcomes compared to 2018. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study show a significant reduction in e-consultation referrals during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a subsequent recovery in the demand for care, and without the pandemic periods being associated to poorer outcomes. The reduction in time elapsed for resolving the e-consultations and no need for face-to-face visits were associated to improved outcomes.

Real-life effect on the control of risk factors associated with initiation of the cardiovascular polypill created from equipotent drugs.

OBJECTIVE: This work aims to analyze the impact of Spain's National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC-Ferrer)'s cardiovascular (CV)-polypill on blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (cLDL) levels in patients in our healthcare area who previously took equipotent doses of statins and antihypertensives. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients in our healthcare area (Santiago de Compostela, Spain) who, as of December 31, 2019, had an active prescription for the CV-polypill (CNIC-Ferrer) since January 16, 2015 were registered. The index date was the start date of the CV-polypill prescription. The drugs the patient had previously received for dyslipidemia and hypertension were analyzed, classifying them by their equivalent potency to atorvastatin and ramipril. Changes in cLDL and BP were analyzed by means of Student's t-test for paired samples. RESULTS: We analyzed 547 patients with a mean age of 71.5 ± 11.5 years. The majority were men (60.6%). We observed a decrease in cLDL (-10.6 [95% CI: -7.0, -14.3], p < 0.001) in patients who started taking the CV-polypill who had previously taken equally potent doses of atorvastatin (n = 471). We documented a reduction in systolic BP (-3.7 [95% CI: -0.4, -6.9], p = 0.029) in patients who had previously taken equally potent doses of ramipril (n = 360). In 88 patients, the CV-polypill was started via equally potent doses of atorvastatin and ramipril, with a decrease in cLDL (-8.7 [95% CI: -3.8, -13.6], p = 0.001) and systolic BP (-3.6 [95% CI: -7.8, 0.5], p = 0.085). CONCLUSIONS: The initiation of treatment with the CV-polypill in patients who previously received equally potent treatment with atorvastatin and ramipril was associated with a greater reduction in cLDL and systolic BP.

[Impact of an interactive web application on the improvement of cardiovascular risk factors control. Control-RCV project]. / Utilidad de una aplicación web interactiva en la mejora del control de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular. Proyecto Control-RCV.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the utility of an interactive web application in the improvement of cardiovascular (CV) risk control. METHODS: Observational study in which primary care physicians consecutively included high/very high CV risk patients with at least one of the following risk factors poorly controlled: hypertension, dyslipidemia or diabetes. After the introduction of data, the application generated a report comparing the recommended and the real targets. Then, the physicians could modify the therapeutic approach. The study consisted of 2 visits, at baseline and after 4-6 months. RESULTS: A total of 379 patients (66.4±9.0 years; 67.3% male; 67.5/32.5% with high/very high CV risk) were included. At baseline, most patients received recommendations about salt restriction (90.2%), diet (94.2%), and physical activity (94.5%). With regard to pharmacological treatments, 53.6% of patients were not taking fixed-dose combinations. Only 35.1% met always with treatment. In 95.8% of patients sanitary education was given, in 29.8% the polypill was prescribed and in 24.3% lifestyle changes were recommended. During the second visit, a significant improvement in lifestyle changes (less smoking and alcohol consumption, and more physical activity, salt restriction and diet), CV risk factors (less obesity, blood pressure, lipids, HbA1c), as well as CV risk reduction were observed. The therapeutic compliance also improved. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the application allows improving lifestyle and CV risk factors control, leading to a reduction of CV risk and an improvement of therapeutic compliance.

[Factors associated with the optimum simultaneous control of diabetes, arterial hypertension and hypercholesterolemia in the diabetic population. BPC Diabetes study]. / Factores asociados al control óptimo simultáneo de la diabetes, hipertensión arterial e hipercolesterolemia en la población diabética. Estudio BPC diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: To know the degree of simultaneous optimal control of diabetes (DM), high blood pressure (BP) and hypercholesterolemia and determine the associated factors. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Cross-sectional descriptive study in diabetic patients 18 years aged or older selected consecutively in primary care centers (PC). Patient data were obtained through access to electronical clinical history. Clinical and analytical variables of interest were registered. Good metabolic control was considered as HbA1c < 7%, good blood pressure control (PA) as values < 140/80 mmHg and good LDL cholesterol control (c-LDL) as values < 100 mg/dL. Bivariate analysis was performed and odds ratio were calculated in a logistic regression model. The study was approved by the San Carlos Clinical Hospital's Clinical Research Ethics Committee (CREC), in Madrid. RESULTS: 1420 patients (55.8% male), with an average (SD) age of 70.6 (10.8) years were included. 75.9% were hypertensive patients, and 69.1% dyslipemic. HbA1c values were 6.9 (1.2) %, sistolic BP 135.0 (16.8) mmHg, diastolic BP 75.9 (10.6) mmHg and LDL-cholesterol 93.7 (32.8) mg/dL. Good metabolic control of DM was achieved at 63.0% (95% CI: 60.4-65.5), good control of HTA at 42.6% (95% CI: 40.0-45.2) and good LDL cholesterol control in 61.1% (95% IC: 58.4-63.7) of patients. Good simultaneous control of the three cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) was reached at 16.1% (95% CI: 14.2-18.1). A positive and independent association (p<0.05) was observed between good simultaneous control of CVRF with age (OR: 1.017) and with personal history of cardiovascular disease (OR: 1.596). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study indicate that a small proportion, less than two out of 10 patients, meet the good control goals recommended by clinical practice guidelines. We found important differences between patients with and without cardiovascular disease.

Evaluation of prophylaxis in primary prevention with acetylsalicylic acid in people with diabetes: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) prophylaxis for the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) remain controversial in people with diabetes (DM) without ACVD, because the possible increased risk of major bleeding could outweigh the potential reduction in the risk of mortality and of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) considered individually or together. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the overall risk-benefit of ASA prophylaxis in primary prevention in people with DM and to compare the recommendations of the guidelines with the results of the meta-analyses (MA) and systematic reviews (SR). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We searched Medline, Google Scholar, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for SR and MA published from 2009 to 2020 which compared the effects of ASA prophylaxis versus placebo or control followed up for at least one year in people with DM without ACVD. Heterogeneity among the randomized clinical trials (RCT) included in the SR and MA was assessed. Cardiovascular outcomes of efficacy (all-cause mortality [ACM], cardiovascular mortality [CVM], myocardial infarction [MI], stroke and MACE) and of safety (major bleeding events [MBE], major gastrointestinal bleeding events [MGIBE], and intracranial and extracranial bleeding) were shown. RESULTS: The recommendations of 12 guidelines were evaluated. The results of 25 SR and MA that included a total of 20 RCT were assessed. None of the MA or SR showed that ASA prophylaxis decreased the risk of ACM, CVM or MI. Only two of the 19 SR and MA that evaluated ischemic stroke showed a decrease in the stroke risk (mean 20.0% [SD±5.7]), bordering on statistical significance. Almost half of the MA and SR showed, bordering on statistical significance, a risk reduction for the MACE composite endpoint (mean 10.5% [SD±3.3]). The significant increases in MGIBE risk ranged from 35% to 55%. The significant increases in the risk of MBE and extracraneal bleeding were 33.4% (SD±14.9) and 54.5% (SD±0.7) respectively. CONCLUSION: The overall risk-benefit assessment of ASA prophylaxis in primary prevention suggests that it should not be applied in people with DM.

[Analysis on the impact of the introduction of a quality management plan of the diabetes care process in a Health Area of Galicia (Spain)]. / Análisis del impacto de la implantación del plan de gestión de calidad del proceso asistencial de diabetes en un Área Sanitaria de Galicia.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the impact of a management plan for the diabetes process on the level of control of HbA1c and the rate of hypoglycaemia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Health Area had a catchment population of 446,603. An anti-diabetic drug prescription (29,705 patients) was used to select diabetic patients. The variables recorded were: percentage of patients with HbA1c <8% and the hypoglycaemia rate before and after implementation of the quality program. RESULTS: The prevalence of diabetes was 11.8%, with 71.3% of them receiving some pharmacological treatment. In the year 2016, in the Integrated Health Area of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), 59.6% (95% CI: 57.9% -61.2%) of the patients had an HbA1c of less than 8%. After the implementation of the quality program, there was an increase in the number of controlled patients, reaching 63.6% (IRQ: 16.0%) in 2017, and 63.8% (95% CI: 62.5% - 65.2%) in 2018. The annual rate of hypoglycaemia increased non-significantly from 2.8 (95% CI: 2.22-3.35) in 2016, to 2.94 (95% CI: 2.35-2.35) in 2017 (P=.083), and 3.0 (95% CI: 2.44-3.56) in 2018 (P=.399). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of the diabetes process management program enabled the level of control of HbA1c to be improved, as well as increase the percentage of patients who undergo regular check-ups, without increasing hypoglycaemia.

[Knowledge And Experience In Gender Violence Of Tutors And Trainees Of Galicia Family Medicine]. / Conocimiento y experiencia en violencia de género de las/os tutoras/es médicas/os y residentes de medicina de familia de Galicia.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the level of preparation, knowledge and experience of gender violence of medical tutors and family medicine trainees of the Teaching Units of Family and Community Care of Galicia. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the 7 Teaching Units of Family and Community Care in Galicia. The Physician Readiness Manage Intimate Violence Survey (PREMIS), in its validated version in Spanish was used. This survey allows the collection of information from primary health care professionals about their attitudes, knowledge, and practices as regards gender violence. A descriptive and comparative statistical analysis was performed on the data. RESULTS: Out of a total of 159 questionnaires received, 72.32% came from women, and 59.1% of the responses were from doctors / tutors. It was noted that there were statistically significant differences in the detection / diagnosis of violence by those professionals who were aware of the gender violence protocol or who had received training in this area (P<.01). In the self-perception of gender violence training, statistically significant worse results were observed in those professionals with greater care burden (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Having received training or knowing the health care protocol on gender violence is associated with greater detection of cases of gender violence. There has been a deficit in training in gender-based violence both in tutors and in family medicine residents, especially in those with greater care burden, so it is a priority to develop medical training strategies in this field.

[Analysis of the level of compliance to the clinical practice guidelines recommendations for the diagnosis and monitoring of chronic vascular complications in type2 diabetes in Primary Care]. / Análisis del grado de cumplimiento de las recomendaciones de las guías de práctica clínica para el diagnóstico y seguimiento de las complicaciones crónicas vasculares en la diabetes tipo 2 en atención primaria.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the level of compliance to the clinical practice guidelines (CPG) recommendations for the diagnosis and monitoring of the main chronic vascular complications of patients with type2 diabetes (DM2) in Primary Care (PC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on patients aged 18years and over and consecutively selected in PC. Patient data were obtained by direct interview and access to the computerised history, and recording the clinical and analytical variables of interest. The determination and recording of urine microalbumin (MALB), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), foot examination (pulse palpation, monofilament or tuning fork), and electrocardiogram (ECG), if performed annually, and the eye fundus (FO) every two years. RESULTS: A total of 1,420 patients were included, of which 55.8% were male. The mean age (SD) was 70.6 (10.8) years and the mean onset of the diabetes was 9.3 (6.2) years. The mean BMI (kg /m2) was 30.1 (5.4) in females and 29.5 (4.7) in males (P=.023), and a mean HbA1c (%) of 6.9 (1.2). Good metabolic control of DM was achieved in 63.0% (95%CI: 60.4-65.5). In the last two years, 976 (68.7%; 95%CI: 66.2-71.1) patients had an eye fundus examination. The urine microalbumin had been performed on 1,228 patients (86.5%; 95%CI: 84.6-88.2). The mean glomerular filtration rate was performed on 1,391 patients (98.0%; 95%CI: 97.1-98.6), the foot pulses examination on 626 (44.1%; 95%CI: 41.5-46.7), and the neurological examination on 473 patients (33.3%; 95%CI: 30.8-35.8). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study indicate that the presence of retinopathy or neuropathy is not explored in a significant percentage of patients with DM2. Only seven out of ten patients have been screened for retinopathy, one in three had a neurological examination, and only one in four have all the scans recommended by the CPG.

[Factors associated with cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular and renal disease in the IBERICAN study: Final results]. / Factores asociados al riesgo cardiovascular y enfermedad cardiovascular y renal en el estudio IBERICAN (Identificación de la poBlación Española de RIesgo CArdiovascular y reNal): resultados definitivos.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the prevalence in clinical practice of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as their causal relationship, in the study inclusion visit. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of the study inclusion visit of 8,066 patients of 18 to 85years of age included in the IBERICAN study. By reviewing the medical history, analytics and medical visits, the patient's physician has collected socio-demographic information, personal and family history and prevalence of CVRF and CVD and renal disease. A multivariate analysis was carried out using a logistic regression that included the autonomous region variable as a random effect variable, in order to analyse the impact of certain variables on the development of each CVRF, metabolic syndrome, subclinical organ damage, renal disease, and CVD. RESULTS: Dyslipidaemia was 2.4 times more frequent in diabetics, and the risk was increased by 59% in hypertensive patients. Arterial hypertension was twice as frequent in diabetics, and increased 94% in hyperuricaemic patients and 62.1% in dyslipidaemia patients. Diabetes mellitus was 2.5 times higher in dyslipidaemia patients, and 2.2 times higher in hypertensive patients. CVD was four times more frequent in patients with a family history, and the risk in women was increased by 90.8% and by 53.8% in patients with renal disease. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish population seen in Primary Care that were analysed in the IBERICAN study had a high prevalence of CVRF and CVD, which gives it a high CVR. The multivariate analysis performed shows a close causal relationship between the CVRF with each other, and with renal disease and CVD.

Prevalence of hypotension in hypertensive treated patients within the Primary Care setting. The PRESCAP 2010 study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of hypotension and associated factors in hypertensive patients treated in the Primary Care setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and multicentre study was conducted with a total of 2635 general practitioners consecutively including 12,961 hypertensive patients treated in a Primary Care setting in Spain. An analysis was performed on the variables of age, gender, weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes, dyslipidaemia, smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle), fasting plasma glucose, complete lipid profile, as well as the presence of target organ damage (left ventricular hypertrophy, microalbuminuria, carotid atherosclerosis) and associated clinical conditions. Hypotension was defined as a systolic blood pressure less than 110mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure less than 70mmHg. A multivariate analysis was performed to determine the variables associated with the presence of hypotension. RESULTS: The mean age was 66.2 years, and 51.7% of patients were women. The mean time of onset of hypertension was 9.1 years. A total of 13.1% of patients (95% confidence interval 12.4-13.6%) had hypotension, 95% of whom had low diastolic blood pressure. The prevalence of hypotension was higher in elderly patients (25.7%) and in those individuals with coronary heart disease (22.6%). The variables associated with the presence of hypotension included a history of cardiovascular disease, being treated with at least 3 antihypertensive drugs, diabetes, and age. CONCLUSIONS: One out of 4-5 elderly patients, or those with cardiovascular disease, had hypotension. General practitioners should identify these patients in order to determine the causes and adjust treatment to avoid complications.

[Description of the sample, design and methods of the study for the identification of the Spanish population at cardiovascular and renal risk (IBERICAN)]. / Descripción de la muestra, diseño y métodos del estudio para la identificación de la población española de riesgo cardiovascular y renal (IBERICAN).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death in Spain, and although the incidence rates have been declining for years due to improvements in prevention and treatment, there is still room for further reduction. Primary Care has a leading role in the prevention and control of these diseases. Determining the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular diseases in the Spanish adult population attended in Primary Care is the objective of the study to identify the Spanish population at cardiovascular and renal risk (IBERICAN). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted using a consecutive non-probabilistic sampling population between 18 and 85 years that attended Primary Care centres between April 1, 2014 and October 31, 2018. By reviewing the medical history, laboratory results, and medical visits, the Primary Care physicians collected socio-demographic information, personal and family history of the patients, as well as prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular and renal disease. The incidents and associated factors will be estimated using proportional risk models of Cox and Kaplan-Meier Curves. RESULTS: A total of 8,066 patients have been recruited by 531 Primary Care physicians from all Autonomous Communities of Spain as part of the IBERICAN cohort, with the exception of Ceuta. The mean age of the cohort is 57.9 years with 54.5% women. Obesity, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension are the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors. There was a history of CVD in16.3%, and 25.5% had a subclinical organ lesion. CONCLUSION: The IBERICAN study is a cohort of people treated in Primary Care that expects to provide relevant information on the factors that determine the incidence of cardiovascular and renal disease in Spain.

[Use of direct-acting oral anticoagulants in Primary Care in Spain. Positioning statement by SEMERGEN on the current situation]. / Utilización de los anticoagulantes orales de acción directa en Atención Primaria de España. Posicionamiento de SEMERGEN ante la situación actual.

The direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are drugs that have been shown to have a safety profile superior to the vitaminK antagonists (VKA). The prescribing of DOACs in Spain is subject to approval in the form of an inspection visa. This sets out the clinical conditions defined in the Spanish Medicines Agency Therapeutic Positioning Report (TPR) of 2013, updated in 2016. These recommendations do not coincide with those of the European Cardiology Society (2016), restricting the use of DOACs to a second-line treatment in the majority of cases. Furthermore, this TPR is applied differently in the Regional Autonomous Communities and even in different health areas. This leads to a wide variation in the prescribing conditions, causing territorial inequalities in accessibility to these drugs by patients. The removal of the visa, and the appropriateness of the prescription to the recommendations of the Clinical Practice guidelines are key aspects to neutralise the current administrative and clinical barriers for the efficient use of DOACs in Primary Care. SEMERGEN supports the boosting of the clinical training and alliance with the patients in order to promote awareness and knowledge of atrial fibrillation.

[Regulatory requirements; What steps must be taken before starting a biomedical research study?] / Requerimientos normativos: ¿Qué pasos tengo que seguir antes de iniciar un estudio de investigación biomédica?

Studies of research with human beings, their biological specimens, or their personal data in the field of biomedicine have been subject to regulation since the middle of the last century. Initially a regulation based on recommendations such as the Nuremberg Code, the Belmont Report or the first versions of the Declaration of Helsinki. All of them documents in which the principles (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice) were conceptualized, and that all researchers had to follow in the development of their research. This first phase is known as a period of self-regulation, because it is considered that the researchers themselves could, by following these recommendations, carry out their investigations without further control. Subsequently, it went through a clearly regulatory period in which the premises of these recommendations were progressively incorporated into the legal system of the different countries, and with this, arose the external control of the investigation by the administrations and other bodies, such as the Research Ethics Committees. The purpose of this article is to serve as a guide to professionals whose main activity is care in the field of Primary Care and who, in turn, are interested in initiating research studies to respond to uncertainties in the context of their daily activity that may arise.

[Prevalence of obesity and cardiovascular comorbidity associated in patients included in the IBERICAN study]. / Prevalencia de obesidad y comorbilidad cardiovascular asociada en los pacientes incluidos en el estudio IBERICAN (Identificación de la poBlación Española de RIesgo CArdiovascular y reNal).

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the prevalence of obesity and its association with other cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease in a sample of patients from the (Identification of the Spanish population at cardiovascular and renal risk) IBERICAN study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Analysis of the inclusion visit of the first 5,013 patients of the IBERICAN longitudinal, observational, and multicentre study in which individuals aged 18 to 85 years were included in Primary Care Clinics in the different regions of Spain. In this work obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 30kg/m2. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity was 35.7% (95% CI: 35.0-36.4%), of which 36.6% were men and 34.9% were women (P=0.214), and significantly increasing with age (0.001). The obesity had the associated higher prevalence of hypertension (62.8% vs. 39.4%, P<001), dyslipidaemia (56.9% vs. 47.1%, P<0.001), sedentary lifestyle (40.6% vs. 24.6%, P<.001), diabetes (27.5% vs. 14.8%, P<.001), hyperuricaemia (23.6% vs. 12.7%, P<.001), subclinical organ injury (33.7% vs. 26.5%, P<.001) and cardiovascular disease (21.2% vs. 15.3%, P<.001). The multivariate analysis showed that the variables associated with obesity were: arterial hypertension (P<.001), hyperuricemia (P<.001), sedentary lifestyle (P<.001), diabetes mellitus (P<0.001), age (P<0.001), low educational level (P<0.001) and lower consumption of tobacco (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of the IBERICAN study shows that approximately one third of the analysed population meets criteria of obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. Target organ damage and cardiovascular disease were more frequent in obese patients.

[Risk of falls and drug use in patients over 65 years of age. The PYCAF study]. / Riesgo de caídas y consumo de fármacos en los pacientes mayores de 65 años. Estudio PYCAF.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of falls and its relationship with the multiple drug use in the non-institutionalised elderly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PYCAF study (Prevalence and Characteristics of the Fragile Elderly) is a cross-sectional, descriptive and multicentre study in patients> 65 years of age. A fall was considered high risk when it took more than 20seconds to perform the Timed Up and Go test. Consuming between 5 and 9 drugs is considered multiple drug (MD) use, and extreme multiple drug (EMD) use the consumption of 10 or more drugs. Adjusted logistic regression models evaluated the association between multiple drug use and EMD and the risk of falls. RESULTS: A total of 2,461 patients (57.9% women), with a mean age (SD) 76.0 (± 7.0) years, were included in the study. The mean consumption of medications was 6.6 ± 3.7, range 0-23. Multiple drug use was present in 50.6%, and EMD in 19.2% of patients. A high risk of falls was observed in 13.7% of patients. The prevalence of high risk of falls was more than 2times higher in patients with EMD (ORa = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.27 - 3.38) and MD (ORa = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.26 - 2.99). CONCLUSIONS: MD and EMD are associated with a high risk of falls in patients over 65 years of age. The risk of falls in elderly patients should be assessed before prescribing medication.