Cor Vasa 2003, 44(4):173-180

Angina Treatment Patterns Survey. Current status of the diagnosis and treatment of patients with stable angina in the Czech Republic

Jaromír Hradec^1,*, Václav Chaloupka², Martina Sachová³

¹ III. interní klinika, Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice a 1. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy, Praha

² Oddělení funkčního vyšetřování, Fakultní nemocnice Brno-Bohunice, Masarykova univerzita, Brno

³ Servier s. r. o., Praha, Česká republika

Introduction:
A project called "ATP (Angina Treatment Patterns) Survey" was conducted in seven European countries in 2001. The aims of the survey were to obtain the yet lacking demographic data on patients with stable angina pectoris (AP), to characterize the current methods of diagnosis and risk stratification, and to map the current therapeutic practices. Results of the international survey have not been published to date. This communication provides data from the Czech Republic.

Method:
In the Czech Republic, a total of 75 outpatient physicians took part in the survey enrolling 640 outpatients with stable AP. Data were obtained using a questionnaire completed by the physician on the first visit by the patient. Each patient was also given a diary and asked to record, for a period of 30 days, the number, severity, and circumstances of the development of anginal attacks and nitroglycerin consumption. Data from the diary were evaluated by the physician on the patient's second visit 4 weeks later. Questionnaire-based data were subsequently analyzed using methods of descriptive statistics.

Results:
The patients' mean age was 67.1 ± 9.2 years; 55,3% of the group were men. Patients had a high coronary heart disease (CHD) risk score-hypertension was present in 70.6%, hyperlipidemia in 65.5%, diabetes mellitus in 35.9%, more than 90% of patients were overweight, and their mean BMI was 28.2 ± 4.1 kg/m2. Most patients were also shown to have other clinical forms of CHD (a history of acute coronary syndrome in 57.0%, heart failure in 12.8%) or overt atherosclerosis in a vascular bed other than the coronary bed (peripheral artery disease in 16.3%, cerebrovascular events in 15.3%), or other associated conditions. The mean number of anginal attacks was 4.1 ± 5.7/week, mean nitroglycerin consumption was 3.4 ± 5.8 units/week. The clinical severity of AP was evaluated by attending physicians using the CCS classification as class I in 34.5% of patients, class II in 49.2%, class III in 11.9% and class IV in 1.9%. Each patient was using an average 2.14 antianginal agents. The most often used agents were long-acting nitrates (82.8% of patients), followed by beta-blockers (64.4%), calcium-channel blockers (33.8%), molsidomine (20.2%), and trimetazidine (13.1%). In general, low daily doses were administered.

Conclusion:
The results of the "ATP Survey" characterize outpatients with stable AP, the diagnostic procedures used, and the therapeutic practices in the Czech Republic.

Keywords: Angina pectoris; Antianginal drugs; Coronary artery disease

Published: April 1, 2003  Show citation