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How do the Australian guidelines for lipid‐lowering drugs perform in practice? Cardiovascular disease risk in the AusDiab Study, 1999–2000
Author(s) -
Chen Lei,
Rogers Sophie L,
Colagiuri Stephen,
Cadilhac Dominique A,
Mathew Timothy H,
Boyden Andrew N,
Peeters Anna,
Magliano Dianna J,
Shaw Jonathan E,
Zimmet Paul Z,
Tonkin Andrew M
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2008.tb02049.x
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetes mellitus , population , disease , framingham risk score , absolute risk reduction , obesity , metabolic syndrome , risk assessment , environmental health , endocrinology , computer security , computer science
Objective: To determine how well the current Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) eligibility criteria for subsidy of lipid‐lowering drugs compare with current national guidelines for determining the population at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Design and participants: Analyses of the population‐based, cross‐sectional Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) study, conducted in 1999–2000. The 1991 Framingham risk prediction equation was used to compute 5‐year risk of developing first‐time CVD in 8286 participants aged 30–74 years with neither CVD nor diabetes. Based on the National Heart Foundation of Australia and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand guidelines, people with either 5‐year CVD risk ≥ 15% or with 5‐year CVD risk of 10%–< 15% and the metabolic syndrome were defined as having estimated high absolute CVD risk. Main outcome measures: 5‐year CVD risk; estimated population with high CVD risk. Results: Among participants without prevalent CVD or diabetes, 7.9% of men and 1.5% of women had a 5‐year CVD risk ≥ 15%. Of the estimated residential Australian population in 2000 aged 30–74 years without CVD or diabetes, 717 000 people were considered to be at high absolute CVD risk. Among the high‐risk AusDiab participants without CVD or diabetes, only 16.9% of men and 15.4% of women were being treated with lipid‐lowering drugs. Of the 9.6% of participants free of CVD and diabetes who were untreated but eligible for subsidy under PBS criteria, only 27.4% had an estimated high absolute CVD risk. Conclusion: Strategies for CVD prevention using lipid‐lowering medications can be improved by adoption of the absolute‐risk approach.