Time trends in preventive drug treatment after myocardial infarction in older patients
Wouter de Ruijter1, Margot W M de Waal, Jacobijn Gussekloo
1Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leiden, The Netherlands. w.de_ruijter@lumc.nl
Abstract:
Secondary preventive drug treatment in patients aged > or =60 years with a history of myocardial infarction was investigated for age-dependent differences in time trends. Sixteen general practices in the Netherlands participated. Preventive treatment with at least three of four drugs (antithrombotics, statins, beta-blockers, and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) increased significantly over time in all three age strata of older patients. Although the greatest relative increase (2.2 times greater) took place in patients aged > or =80 years, these patients consistently had most room for improvement.
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