Diabetic retinopathy as a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in subjects with type 2 diabetes.

This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its stages with the incidence of major cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) persons in our large primary healthcare database from Catalonia (Spain). A retrospective cohort study with pseudo-anonymized routinely collected health data from SIDIAP was conducted from 2008 to 2016. We calculated incidence rates of major cardiovascular events [coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, or both-macrovascular events] and all-cause mortality for subjects with and without DR and for different stages of DR. The proportional hazards regression analysis was done to assess the probability of occurrence between DR and the study events. About 22,402 T2DM subjects with DR were identified in the database and 196,983 subjects without DR. During the follow-up period among the subjects with DR, we observed the highest incidence of all-cause mortally. In the second place were the macrovascular events among the subjects with DR. In the multivariable analysis, fully adjusted for DR, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), tobacco, duration of T2DM, an antiplatelet or antihypertensive drug, and HbA1c, we observed that subjects with any stage of DR had higher risks for all of the study events, except for stroke. We observed the highest probability of all-cause death events (adjusted hazard ratios, AHRs: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.28; 1.41). In conclusion, our results show that DR is related to CHD, macrovascular events, and all-cause mortality among persons with T2DM.

Relación entre la actividad física en el tiempo libre y la progresión del índice tobillo-brazo / Relationship between physical activity during leisure time and progression of ankle-brachial index

Objetivo: Estudiar la relación entre la actividad física en el tiempo libre y la progresión del índice tobillo-brazo (ITB) en población general española. Método: Estudio de cohortes prospectivo y multicéntrico, con 1941 sujetos mayores de 49 años, libres de arteriopatía periférica en el momento del reclutamiento. La variable actividad física en el tiempo libre se obtuvo mediante el cuestionario VREM ((Versión Reducida en Espãnol del Cuestionario de Actividad Física en el Tiempo Libre de Minnesota). Se consideró arteriopatía periférica un ITB <0,9. Para evaluar la asociación independiente entre la actividad física en el tiempo libre y el ITB se utilizaron modelos de regresión logística multivariante. Resultados: La edad media era de 63,4 años y el 54,6% eran mujeres. En el análisis multivariante hubo una relación positiva entre la actividad física en el tiempo libre y el ITB en pacientes con un gasto energético de más de 5000 metabolic energy turnover (MET) en 14 días (odds ratio: 0,37; intervalo de confianza del 95%: 0,18-0,80). Por actividades específicas, mostraron un efecto protector hacer deporte o bailar, ir a comprar a pie y limpiar la casa más de 1 hora al día. En el grupo de personas que mantenían a largo plazo la realización de actividad física en el tiempo libre se observó un efecto protector en la actividad física en general (MET) y en ir a comprar a pie. Conclusiones: En nuestro estudio, en una muestra de población general española muy activa, la actividad física en el tiempo libre se asoció favorablemente con el ITB. (AU)

Objective: To study the relationship between physical activity during leisure time and progression of ankle-brachial index (ABI) in the Spanish general population. Method: Prospective, multicentre cohort study with 1941 subjects over 49 years of age, free of peripheral arterial disease at the time of recruitment of the cohort, were studied. Physical activity during leisure time variable was obtained using the VREM questionnaire. Peripheral arterial disease was considered to be an ankle-brachial index (ABI) <0.9. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the independent association between physical activity during leisure time and ABI. Results: The mean age was 63.4 years and 54.6% were women. In the multivariate analysis, there was a positive relationship between physical activity during leisure time and ABI in patients with an energy consumption of more than 5000 MET in 14 days (odds ratio: 0.37; 95% confidence interval: 0.18-0.80). These specific activities doing sports or dancing, going shopping on foot, and cleaning the house for more than an hour a day showed a protective effect. In the group of subjects who maintained the physical activity during leisure time during the time of the research, a protective effect was observed with overall physical activity (MET) and going shopping on foot. Conclusions: In our research, PALT was favorably associated with ABI, in a sample of the Spanish general population that is very active and has a low-cardiovascular risk. (AU)

[Relationship between physical activity during leisure time and progression of ankle-brachial index]. / Relación entre la actividad física en el tiempo libre y la progresión del índice tobillo-brazo.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between physical activity during leisure time and progression of ankle-brachial index (ABI) in the Spanish general population. METHOD: Prospective, multicentre cohort study with 1941 subjects over 49 years of age, free of peripheral arterial disease at the time of recruitment of the cohort, were studied. Physical activity during leisure time variable was obtained using the VREM questionnaire. Peripheral arterial disease was considered to be an ankle-brachial index (ABI) <0.9. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the independent association between physical activity during leisure time and ABI. RESULTS: The mean age was 63.4 years and 54.6% were women. In the multivariate analysis, there was a positive relationship between physical activity during leisure time and ABI in patients with an energy consumption of more than 5000 MET in 14 days (odds ratio: 0.37; 95% confidence interval: 0.18-0.80). These specific activities doing sports or dancing, going shopping on foot, and cleaning the house for more than an hour a day showed a protective effect. In the group of subjects who maintained the physical activity during leisure time during the time of the research, a protective effect was observed with overall physical activity (MET) and going shopping on foot. CONCLUSIONS: In our research, PALT was favorably associated with ABI, in a sample of the Spanish general population that is very active and has a low-cardiovascular risk.

Analysis of the Adherence and Safety of Second Oral Glucose-Lowering Therapy in Routine Practice From the Mediterranean Area: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

The aims of our study was compare adherence measured by the medical possession ratio (MPR), time until discontinuation and describe adverse events after adding a DPP-4i, SGLT-2i, or sulfonylureas (SU) to metformin in a primary care population with insufficient glycemic control. We used routinely-collected health data from the SIDIAP database. The included subjects were matched by propensity score. The follow-up period was up to 24 months or premature discontinuation. The primary outcomes were the percentage of subjects with good adherence, treatment discontinuation and adverse events among treatment groups. The proportion of patients with good adherence (MPR> 0.8) after the addition of DPP-4i, SGLT-2i or SU was 53.6%, 68.7%, and 43.0%, respectively. SGLT-2i users were 1.7 times more likely to achieve good adherence compared with DPP-4i users (odds ratio [OR]:1.72, 98% confidence interval [CI]:1.51, 1.96), and 2.8 times more likely compared with SU users (OR: 0.35, 98% CI: 0.07, 0.29). The discontinuation hazard ratios were 1.43 (98%CI: 1.26; 1.62) and 1.60 (98%CI: 1.42; 1.81) times higher among SGLT-2i and SU users than DPP-4i users during the follow-up period. No differences were observed for adverse events among the treatment groups. In conclusion, in our real-world setting, the combination of SGLT-2i with metformin was associated with better adherence. The mean time until discontinuation was longer in the SGLT-2i group in comparison with the DPP-4i or SU groups.

Associations Between Diabetic Retinopathy and Parkinson's Disease: Results From the Catalonian Primary Care Cohort Study.

The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of occurrence of Parkinson's disease (PD) among subjects with type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in our large primary health care database from Catalonia (Spain). A retrospective cohort study with pseudo-anonymized routinely collected health data from SIDIAP was conducted from 2008 to 2016. We calculated the number of events, time to event, cumulative incidence, and incidence rates of PD for subjects with and without DR and for different stages of DR. The proportional hazards regression analysis was done to assess the probability of occurrence between DR and PD. In total, 26,453 type 2 diabetic subjects with DR were identified in the database, and 216,250 subjects without DR at inclusion. During the follow-up period, 1,748 PD events occurred. PD incidence rate and cumulative incidence were higher among subjects with DR (16.95 per 10,000 person-years and 0.83%, respectively). In the unadjusted analysis, subjects with DR were at 1.25 times higher risk (hazard ratio: 1.22, 95% confidence interval: 1.06; 1.41) of developing PD during the study period. However, we did not find any statistically significant HR for DR in any models after adjusting for different risk factors (age, sex, duration of diabetes, smoking, body mass index, glycosylated hemoglobin, comorbidities). In conclusion, in our primary health care population database, DR was not associated with an increased risk of PD after adjusting for different risk factors. In our retrospective cohort study, age, male sex, and diabetes duration were independent risk factors for developing PD.

Analysis of the effectiveness of second oral glucose-lowering therapy in routine clinical practice from the mediterranean area: A retrospective cohort study.

AIM: To compare the changes in HbA1c, the effect on body weight or both combined after the addition of a DPP-4i, SGLT-2i, or sulfonylureas (SU) to metformin in real-world condition. METHODS: We used a primary care SIDIAP database. The included subjects were matched by propensity score according to baseline age, sex, HbA1c, weight, inclusion date, diabetes duration, and kidney function. RESULTS: Mean absolute HbA1c reduction was: 1.28% for DPP4i, 1.29% for SGLT2i and 1.26% for SU. Mean weight reduction was: 1.21 kg for DPP4i, 3.47 kg for SGLT2i and 0.04 kg for SU. The proportion of patients who achieved combined target HbA1c (≥0.5%) and weight (≥3%) reductions after the addition of DPP-4i, SGLT-2i or SU, was: 24.2%, 41.3%, and 15.2%, respectively. Small differences in systolic blood pressure reduction (1.07, 3.10 and 0.96 mmHg, respectively) were observed in favour of SGLT-2i. Concerning the lipids, we observed small differences, with an HDL-cholesterol increase with SGLT-2i. CONCLUSION: Our real-world study showed that the addition of SGLT-2i to metformin was associated with greater reductions in weight and the combination target of weight-HbA1c compared to SU and DPP4 inhibitors. However, similar hypoglycaemic effectiveness was observed among the three-drug classes.

Efficiency as a determinant of loyalty among users of a Community of Clinical Practice: a comparative study between the implementation and consolidation phases.

BACKGROUND: A community of clinical practice called the Online Communication Tool between Primary and Hospital Care (ECOPIH) was created to enable primary care and specialist care professionals to communicate with each other in order to resolve real clinical cases, thereby improving communication and coordination between care levels. The present work seeks to analyse whether ECOPIH makes it possible to reduce the number of referrals. To that end, the objectives are: (1) To find out the degree of loyalty among ECOPIH users, by comparing the medical professionals' profiles in the tool's implementation phase to those in its consolidation phase. (2) To evaluate the degree of fulfilment of users' expectations, by establishing the determining factors that had an influence on the physicians' intention to use ECOPIH in the implementation phase and observing whether its use had an effective, direct impact on the number of patient referrals that primary care physicians made to specialist care professionals. METHODS: Two studies were conducted. Based on a survey of all the physicians in a Primary Care area, Study 1 was a descriptive study in ECOPIH's implementation phase. Study 2 was a randomised intervention study of ECOPIH users in the tool's consolidation phase. The results from both studies were compared. Various bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques (exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis, logistic regression analysis and ANOVA) were used in both studies, which were conducted on a sample of 111 and 178 physicians, respectively. RESULTS: We confirmed the existence of an ECOPIH user profile stable across both phases: under-50-year-old women. Regarding the second objective, there were two particular findings. First, the discriminant factors that had an influence on greater ECOPIH use were habitual Social media website and app use and Perceived usefulness for reducing costs. Second, PC professionals who were ECOPIH members made fewer referrals to SC professionals in Cardiology, Endocrinology and Gastroenterology than older PC professionals who were not ECOPIH members. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a community of clinical practice by primary care and specialist care professionals helps to reduce the number of referrals among medical professionals.

Key factors for overcoming psychological insulin resistance: an examination of patient perspectives through content analysis.

Objective: To understand participant perceptions about insulin and identify key behaviors of healthcare professionals (HCPs) that motivated initially reluctant adults from seven countries (n=40) who had type 2 diabetes (T2D) to start insulin treatment. Research design and methods: Telephone interviews were conducted with a subset of participants from an international investigation of adults with T2D who were reluctant to start insulin (EMOTION). Questions related to: (a) participants' thoughts about insulin before and after initiation; (b) reasons behind responses on the survey that were either 'not helpful at all' or 'helped a lot'; (c) actions their HCP may have taken to help start insulin treatment; and (d) advice they would give to others in a similar situation of starting insulin. Responses were coded by two independent reviewers (kappa 0.992). Results: Starting insulin treatment was perceived as a negative experience that would be painful and would lead down a 'slippery slope' to complications. HCPs engaged in four primary behaviors that helped with insulin acceptance: (1) showed the insulin pen/needle and demonstrated the injection process; (2) explained how insulin could help with diabetes control and reduce risk of complications; (3) used collaborative communication style; and (4) offered support and willingness to answer questions so that participants would not be 'on their own'. Following initiation, most participants noted that insulin was not 'as bad as they thought' and recommended insulin to other adults with T2D. Conclusions: Based on these themes, two actionable strategies are suggested for HCPs to help people with psychological insulin resistance: (1) demonstrate the injection process and discuss negative perceptions of insulin as well as potential benefits; (2) offer autonomy in a person-centred collaborative approach, but provide support and accessibility to address concerns. These findings help HCPs to better understand ways in which they can engage reluctant people with T2D with specific strategies.

Fatty liver index is a predictor of incident diabetes in patients with prediabetes: The PREDAPS study.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the ability of the Fatty Liver Index (FLI), a surrogate marker of hepatic steatosis, to predict the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) at 3 years follow-up in a Spanish cohort with prediabetes from a prospective observational study in primary care (PREDAPS). METHODS: FLI was calculated at baseline for 1,142 adult subjects with prediabetes attending primary care centers, and classified into three categories: FLI <30 (no steatosis), FLI 30-60 (intermediate) and FLI ≥60 (hepatic steatosis). We estimated the incidence rate of T2D in each FLI category at 3 years of follow-up. The association between FLI and incident T2D was calculated using Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, educational level, family history of diabetes, lifestyles, hypertension, lipid profile and transaminases. RESULTS: The proportion of subjects with prediabetes and hepatic steatosis (FLI ≥60) at baseline was 55.7%. The incidence rate of T2D at 3 years follow-up was 1.3, 2.9 and 6.0 per 100 person-years for FLI<30, FLI 30->60 and FLI ≥60, respectively. The most significant variables increasing the risk of developing T2D were metabolic syndrome (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.14-4.26) and FLI ≥60 (HR = 4.52; 95%CI = 2.10-9.72). Moreover, FLI ≥60 was independently associated with T2D incidence: the HR was 4.97 (95% CI: 2.28-10.80) in the base regression model adjusted by sex, age and educational level, and 3.21 (95%CI: 1.45-7.09) in the fully adjusted model. CONCLUSIONS: FLI may be considered an easy and valuable early indicator of high risk of incident T2D in patients with prediabetes attended in primary care, which could allow the adoption of effective measures needed to prevent and reduce the progression of the disease.

Correction: Contribution of the ankle-brachial index to improve the prediction of coronary risk: The ARTPER cohort.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191283.].

Keys to success of a community of clinical practice in primary care: a qualitative evaluation of the ECOPIH project.

BACKGROUND: The current reality of primary care (PC) makes it essential to have telemedicine systems available to facilitate communication between care levels. Communities of practice have great potential in terms of care and education, and that is why the Online Communication Tool between Primary and Hospital Care was created. This tool enables PC and non-GP specialist care (SC) professionals to raise clinical cases for consultation and to share information. The objective of this article is to explore healthcare professionals' views on communities of clinical practice (CoCPs) and the changes that need to be made in an uncontrolled real-life setting after more than two years of use. METHODS: A descriptive-interpretative qualitative study was conducted on a total of 29 healthcare professionals who were users and non-users of a CoCP using 2 focus groups, 3 triangular groups and 5 individual interviews. There were 18 women, 21 physicians and 8 nurses. Of the interviewees, 21 were PC professionals, 24 were users of a CoCP and 7 held managerial positions. RESULTS: For a system of communication between PC and SC to become a tool that is habitually used and very useful, the interviewees considered that it would have to be able to find quick, effective solutions to the queries raised, based on up-to-date information that is directly applicable to daily clinical practice. Contact should be virtual - and probably collaborative - via a platform integrated into their habitual workstations and led by PC professionals. Organisational changes should be implemented to enable users to have more time in their working day to spend on the tool, and professionals should have a proactive attitude in order to make the most if its potential. It is also important to make certain technological changes, basically aimed at improving the tool's accessibility, by integrating it into habitual clinical workstations. CONCLUSIONS: The collaborative tool that provides reliable, up-to-date information that is highly transferrable to clinical practice is valued for its effectiveness, efficiency and educational capacity. In order to make the most of its potential in terms of care and education, organisational changes and techniques are required to foster greater use.

Decreased iron stores are associated with cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The possible contribution of iron to cardiovascular complications of type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been scarcely investigated. We aimed to study whether serum ferritin is linked to prevalent/incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in T2D. METHODS: The prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease (CEVD) and CVD was evaluated in the SIDIAP study (n = 38,617) and prevalence and 7-year incidence were analysed in the Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study (ET2DS) (n = 821). Logistic and Cox regressions were used to describe associations between serum ferritin and CVD adjusting for confounding variables. RESULTS: Increase of 1 SD unit in log-ferritin was associated with lower CVD prevalence in fully-adjusted models (ET2DS odds ratio (OR) 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81 (0.68-0.96), p = 0.018; SIDIAP study: 0.91 (0.88-0.94), p < 0.001). In ET2DS, ferritin in the highest (vs. the lowest) quintile was associated with lower incidence of CVD (fully adjusted HR 95% CI: 0.46 (0.26-0.83), p = 0.010). This association persisted after removing subjects with CVD at baseline (n = 536) (HR 95% CI: 0.34 (0.14-0.81), p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Low iron status was associated with CVD risk in T2D. This pattern was consistent in populations at different cardiovascular risk. Low iron status seems to be harmful for cardiovascular health in T2D and it may be a target for intervention.

Glomerular Filtration Rate and/or Ratio of Urine Albumin to Creatinine as Markers for Diabetic Retinopathy: A Ten-Year Follow-Up Study.

AIMS: To determine the relationship between diabetic nephropathy and diabetic retinopathy on a population of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. METHODS: A prospective ten-year follow-up population-based study. We determined differences between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the chronic kidney disease epidemiology collaboration equation and urine albumin to creatinine ratio. RESULTS: Annual incidence of any-DR was 8.21 ± 0.60% (7.06%-8.92%), sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) was 2.65 ± 0.14% (2.48%-2.88%), and diabetic macular edema (DME) was 2.21 ± 0.18% (2%-2.49%). Renal study results were as follows: UACR > 30 mg/g had an annual incidence of 7.02 ± 0.05% (6.97%-7.09%), eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 incidence was 5.89 ± 0.12% (5.70%-6.13%). Cox's proportional regression analysis of DR incidence shows that renal function studied by eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 was less significant (p = 0.04, HR 1.223, 1.098-1.201) than UACR ≥ 300 mg/g (p < 0.001, HR 1.485, 1.103-1.548). The study of STDR shows that eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 was significant (p = 0.02, HR 1.890, 1.267-2.820), UACR ≥ 300 mg/g (p < 0.001, HR 2.448, 1.595-3.757), and DME shows that eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 was significant (p = 0.02, HR 1.920, 1.287-2.864) and UACR ≥ 300 mg/g (p < 0.001, HR 2.432, 1.584-3.732). CONCLUSIONS: The UACR has a better association with diabetic retinopathy than the eGFR, although both are important risk factors for diabetic retinopathy.

Glycaemic control and treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults aged 75 years or older.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess glycaemic control and prescribing practices of antihyperglycaemic treatment in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 aged 75 years or older. METHODS: We analysed data from health electronic records from 4,581 persons attended at primary healthcare centres of the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS), in the Girona Sud area of Catalonia, Spain, during 2013 and 2016. Variables such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), diabetes duration, age at diabetes diagnosis, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), creatinine, glomerular filtrate rate and the albumin/creatinine ratio in urine were collected. A descriptive analysis of the study variables was done to determinate the percentage of persons on antidiabetic treatment. RESULTS: We identified 4,421 persons aged 75 years or older who provided data on HbA1c and antidiabetic treatment. Mean age was 82.3 (5.1) years. In 58.1% of patients, the level of HbA1c was below 7.0%, while in 36.8% it was below 6.5%. Between patients with HbA1c below 7.0%, antidiabetic drugs were taken by 70.2%, where 15.2% were either on insulin, sulphonylureas or repaglinide therapy. CONCLUSION: Intensive treatment among older adults with diabetes mellitus type 2 is common in primary care clinical practice in our area. Intensive glycaemic control confers an increased risk of hypoglycaemia and little benefit among older individuals with diabetes. Physicians should take care more not to harm those populations and treatment should be de-intensified to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia.

Contribution of the ankle-brachial index to improve the prediction of coronary risk: The ARTPER cohort.

BACKGROUND: The different cardiovascular risk prediction scales currently available are not sufficiently sensitive. AIM: The aim of the present study was to analyze the contribution of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) added to the Framingham and REGICOR risk scales for the reclassification of cardiovascular risk after a 9-year follow up of a Mediterranean population with low cardiovascular risk. DESIGN AND SETTING: A population-based prospective cohort study was performed in the province of Barcelona, Spain. METHOD: A total of 3,786 subjects >49 years were recruited from 2006-2008. Baseline ABI was performed and cardiovascular risk was calculated with the Framingham and REGICOR scales. The participants were followed until November 2016 by telephone and review of the clinical history every 6 months to confirm the possible appearance of cardiovascular events. RESULTS: 2,716 individuals participated in the study. There were 126 incidental cases of first coronary events (5%) during follow up. The incidence of coronary events in patients with ABI <0.9 was 4-fold greater than that of subjects with a normal ABI (17.2/1,000 persons-year versus 4.8/1,000 persons-year). Improvement in the predictive capacity of REGICOR scale was observed on including ABI in the model, obtaining a net reclassification improvement of 7% (95% confidence interval 0%-13%) for REGICOR+ ABI. Framingham + ABI obtained a NRI of 4% (-2%-11%). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study support the addition of the ABI as a tool to help in the reclassification of cardiovascular risk and to confirm the greater incidence of coronary events in patients with ABI < 0.9.

Expectations and perceptions of primary healthcare professionals regarding their own continuous education in Catalonia (Spain): a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The planning and execution of continuous education in an organization that provides health services is a complex process. The objectives, learning sequences, and implementation strategies should all be oriented to improving the health of the population. The aim of this study was to analyse the expectations and perceptions of continuous educations by primary healthcare professionals (physicians and nurses) and identify aspects that hinder or encourage the process. METHODS: A qualitative study with 5 focus groups made up of 25 primary healthcare professionals from the Catalan Health Institute, Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). The focus groups were audio-recorded and the results transcribed. The analysis involved: a) Reading of the data looking for meanings b) Coding of the data by themes and extracting categories c) Reviewing and refining codes and categories d) Reconstruction of the data providing an explanatory framework for the meanings e) Discussion about the interpretations of the findings and f) Discussed with relevant professionals from PHC (physicians and nurses)"Data regarding thematic content were analyzed with the support of Atlasti 5.1 software. RESULTS: The health needs of the population were often at the core of the learning processes but the participants' views did not always spontaneously refer to improvements in these issues. Common themes that could hinder learning and where identified, including contextual aspects such as work constraints (timetables, places being covered during training) and funding policies. New learning strategies to improve the effectiveness of continuous education were proposed such as the exchange of knowledge, the activation of personal commitment to change, and the improvement of organizational aspects. CONCLUSIONS: The primary healthcare professionals in our study viewed continuous education as a professional necessity and would like to translate the knowledge acquired to improving the health of the population. Nevertheless, professional, structural, and organizational issues impede the process.

Heart failure labelled patients with missing ejection fraction in primary care: prognosis and determinants.

BACKGROUND: It is common to find a high variability in the accuracy of heart failure (HF) diagnosis in electronic primary care medical records (EMR). Our aims were to ascertain (i) whether the prognosis of HF labelled patients whose ejection fraction (EF) was missing in their EMR differed from those that had it registered, and (ii) the causes contributing to the differences in the availability of EF in EMR. METHODS: Retrospective cohort analyses based on clinical records of HF and attended at 52 primary healthcare centres of Barcelona (Spain). Information of 8376 HF patients aged > 40 years followed during five years was analyzed. RESULTS: EF was available only in 8.5% of primary care medical records. Cumulate incidence for mortality and hospitalization from 1st January 2009 to 31th December 2012 was 37.6%. The highest rate was found in patients with missing EF (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.68 -1.95) compared to those with preserved EF. Patients hospitalized the previous year and those requiring home healthcare (HR 1.81, 95% Confidence Interval 1.68-1.95 and HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.46-1.71, respectively) presented a higher risk of having an adverse outcome. Older patients, those more socio-economically disadvantaged, obese, requiring home healthcare, and taking loop diuretics were less likely to have an EF registered. CONCLUSIONS: EF is poorly recorded in primary care. HF patients with EF missing at medical records had the worst prognosis. They tended to be older, socio-economically disadvantaged, and more fragile.

Evolución y grado de control de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular tras 5 años de seguimiento y su relación con la incidencia de arteriopatía periférica: cohorte poblacional ARTPER / Evolution and degree of control of cardiovascular risk factors after 5 years of follow-up and their relationship with the incidence of peripheral arterial disease: ARTPER cohort

Fundamento y objetivo: Los factores de riesgo cardiovascular (FRCV) son bien conocidos, pero su grado de control no es óptimo. Este trabajo pretende valorar la evolución y el control de los FRCV clásicos tras 5 años de seguimiento de una cohorte poblacional y su relación con la incidencia de arteriopatía periférica (AP). Material y método: Estudio de cohortes prospectivo. Selección de pacientes 2006-2008; segunda visita entre 2011-2012. En ambas fases se realizó un índice tobillo-brazo en condiciones estandarizadas. Se registraron variables demográficas, antecedentes y FRCV, presión arterial, perfil lipídico, glucosa y hemoglobina glucosilada en pacientes diabéticos y cálculo del riesgo cardiovascular mediante REGICOR. Resultados: Fueron analizados 2.125 individuos. Se incrementó la prevalencia de hipertensión arterial (HTA) en un 15,4%, en un 8,2% la diabetes (DM) y en un 20,4% la hipercolesterolemia, manteniéndose estables la obesidad y el tabaquismo. REGICOR se mantuvo alrededor de 5,5%. Se incrementó el control de los FRCV durante el seguimiento, excepto para la DM y la obesidad. En el análisis multivariante la HTA no controlada presentó un riesgo de más del doble para AP incidente (odds ratio [OR] 2,3; intervalo de confianza al 95% [IC 95%] 1,3-4,1), y el tabaquismo, de 5 veces (OR 5,0; IC 95% 2,5-10,2). Conclusiones: Tabaquismo y HTA mal controlados incrementan el riesgo para AP en esta población. A pesar del aumento del tratamiento farmacológico persiste un control subóptimo de los FRCV (AU)

Background and objective: Although cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) are well known, their degree of control is not optimal. The aim of this study is to assess the evolution and control of CVRFs after 5 years of monitoring a population-based cohort and their association with the incidence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Material and method: Prospective cohort study recruited between 2006-2008. Second phase between 2011-2012. An ankle brachial index was determined for all participants in both phases. Demographic variables, CVRF and previous cardiovascular events, blood pressure, total cholesterol and its fractions (HDL, LDL), triglycerides, glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels in diabetic patients and the cardiovascular risk score according to the REGICOR table were recorded. Results: A total of 2,125 individuals were analyzed. We observed an increase in the prevalence of hypertension (HT) (15.4%), diabetes (DM) (8.2%) and hypercholesterolemia (20.4%), with no changes in obesity and smoking. The cardiovascular risk determined on the basis of the REGICOR table remained at around 5.5%. We observed an increased control of CVRF throughout the follow-up period, except in the case of DM and obesity. In the multivariate analysis, uncontrolled HT 2-folded the risk of onset of PAD (odds ratio [OR] 2.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.3-4.1), whereas smoking 5-folded this risk (OR 5.0; 95% CI 2.5-10.2). Conclusions: Smoking and uncontrolled HT increase the risk of onset of PAD in this population. Despite the increase in drug treatments, the control of CVRFs continues to be suboptimal (AU)

Evolution and degree of control of cardiovascular risk factors after 5 years of follow-up and their relationship with the incidence of peripheral arterial disease: ARTPER cohort. / Evolución y grado de control de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular tras 5 años de seguimiento y su relación con la incidencia de arteriopatía periférica: cohorte poblacional ARTPER.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Although cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) are well known, their degree of control is not optimal. The aim of this study is to assess the evolution and control of CVRFs after 5 years of monitoring a population-based cohort and their association with the incidence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Prospective cohort study recruited between 2006-2008. Second phase between 2011-2012. An ankle brachial index was determined for all participants in both phases. Demographic variables, CVRF and previous cardiovascular events, blood pressure, total cholesterol and its fractions (HDL, LDL), triglycerides, glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels in diabetic patients and the cardiovascular risk score according to the REGICOR table were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 2,125 individuals were analyzed. We observed an increase in the prevalence of hypertension (HT) (15.4%), diabetes (DM) (8.2%) and hypercholesterolemia (20.4%), with no changes in obesity and smoking. The cardiovascular risk determined on the basis of the REGICOR table remained at around 5.5%. We observed an increased control of CVRF throughout the follow-up period, except in the case of DM and obesity. In the multivariate analysis, uncontrolled HT 2-folded the risk of onset of PAD (odds ratio [OR] 2.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.3-4.1), whereas smoking 5-folded this risk (OR 5.0; 95% CI 2.5-10.2). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking and uncontrolled HT increase the risk of onset of PAD in this population. Despite the increase in drug treatments, the control of CVRFs continues to be suboptimal.

Noninsulin Antidiabetic Drugs for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Are We Respecting Their Contraindications?

AIM: To assess prescribing practices of noninsulin antidiabetic drugs (NIADs) in T2DM with several major contraindications according to prescribing information or clinical guidelines: renal failure, heart failure, liver dysfunction, or history of bladder cancer. METHODS: Cross-sectional, descriptive, multicenter study. Electronic medical records were retrieved from all T2DM subjects who attended primary care centers pertaining to the Catalan Health Institute in Catalonia in 2013 and were pharmacologically treated with any NIAD alone or in combination. RESULTS: Records were retrieved from a total of 255,499 pharmacologically treated patients. 78% of patients with some degree of renal impairment (glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 60 mL/min) were treated with metformin and 31.2% with sulfonylureas. Even in the event of severe renal failure (GFR < 30 mL/min), 35.3% and 22.5% of patients were on metformin or sulfonylureas, respectively. Moreover, metformin was prescribed to more than 60% of patients with moderate or severe heart failure. CONCLUSION: Some NIADs, and in particular metformin, were frequently used in patients at high risk of complications when they were contraindicated. There is a need to increase awareness of potential inappropriate prescribing and to monitor the quality of prescribing patterns in order to help physicians and policymakers to yield better clinical outcomes in T2DM.