RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Systematic screening for cardiovascular risk at pharmacies
JF Open Heart
JO Open Heart
FD British Cardiovascular Society
SP e000497
DO 10.1136/openhrt-2016-000497
VO 3
IS 2
A1 Miklos Rohla
A1 Heinz Haberfeld
A1 Helmut Sinzinger
A1 Harald Kritz
A1 Maximilian Tscharre
A1 Matthias K Freynhofer
A1 Kurt Huber
A1 Thomas W Weiss
YR 2016
UL http://openheart.bmj.com/content/3/2/e000497.abstract
AB Background Early identification and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) is essential to prevent excess morbidity, mortality and healthcare-related costs. We sought to investigate whether an active screening programme at pharmacies could identify a significant proportion of patients with previously undetected CVRFs.Methods and results Between April and July 2013, 184 pharmacies in Lower Austria enrolled a total of 6800 participants, in whom body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), total cholesterol and blood glucose were measured. Mean age was 58±17 years and 67.8% were women. 21% of men and 16% of women had a BMI≥30 kg/m2. The crude prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) was 7%, hypercholesterolaemia was identified in 57%, and 44% had elevated BP. Among fasting individuals (n=1814), DM was found in 18%. In total, 30% were confronted with a CVRF they were previously unaware of, and pharmacists recommended 45% of all participants to actively consult a physician. A first-time diagnosis of a CVRF was most frequent in the age groups between 25 and 64 (32% of participants).Conclusions This pharmacy-based approach for cardiovascular risk screening found similar overall prevalences of CVRFs as reported by national surveys, but revealed underdiagnoses, particularly in lower age groups. A previously unknown CVRF was identified in every third individual, frequently prompting the pharmacists to recommend the consultation of a physician. An active screening approach at pharmacies might therefore serve as an effective alternative to the public preventive medical examination, particularly in younger age groups.