Effects of a long-term lifestyle intervention program with Mediterranean diet and exercise for the management of patients with metabolic syndrome in a primary care setting.

BACKGROUND: The impact of a lifestyle intervention (LSI) program for the long-term management of subjects with metabolic syndrome in a primary care setting is not known. METHODS: This 3-year prospective controlled trial randomized adult subjects with metabolic syndrome to receive intensive LSI or to usual care in a community health centre in Malaga, Spain. LSI subjects received instruction on Mediterranean diet and a regular aerobic exercise program by their primary care professionals. Primary outcome included changes from baseline on different components of metabolic syndrome (abdominal circumference, blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose and triglycerides). RESULTS: Among the 2,492 subjects screened, 601 subjects with metabolic syndrome (24.1%) were randomized to LSI (n = 298) or to usual care (n = 303); of them, a 77% and a 58%, respectively, completed the study. At the end of the study period, LSI resulted in significant differences vs. usual care in abdominal circumference (-0.4 ± 6 cm vs. + 2.1 ± 6.7 cm, p < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (-5.5 ± 15 mmHg vs. -0.6 ± 19 mmHg, p = 0.004), diastolic blood pressure (-4.6 ± 10 mmHg vs. -0.2 ± 13 mmHg, p < 0.001) and HDL-cholesterol (+4 ± 12 mg/dL vs. + 2 ± 12 mg/dL, p = 0.05); however, there were no differences in fasting plasma glucose and triglyceride concentration (-4 ± 35 mg/dl vs. -1 ± 32 mg/dl, p = 0.43 and -0.4 ± 83 mg/dl vs. +6 ± 113 mg/dl, p = 0.28). CONCLUSION: Intensive LSI counseling provided by primary care professionals resulted in significant improvements in abdominal circumference, blood pressure and HDL-cholesterol but had limited effects on glucose and triglyceride levels in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Compliance with cardiovascular drug prevention measures in a general population: the Multidisciplinary Intervention in Primary Care (IMAP) study.

AIMS: To evaluate adherence to guideline-recommended drug therapies for primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention in a general Mediterranean population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a random sample of 2270 individuals (18-80 years) assigned to a health centre in Malaga (Spain). The appropriate use was analysed of statins, antithrombotics, beta-blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARB), based on the criteria of the European Guidelines on Cardiovascular Prevention and the European Society of Hypertension-European Society of Cardiology. RESULTS: The prescription rate of statins, antithrombotics, beta-blockers, and ACEI/ARB was 7.8%, 5.1%, 3.3%, and 11%, respectively. The prescription of these drugs was inappropriate in 36.2%, 22.4%, 64.5%, and 0%, respectively. Overtreatment was more frequent in subjects with greater comorbidity or ≥ 2 vascular risk factors (p < 0.001). The percentage of individuals with prescription criteria but who did not receive the treatment was 19.5%, 4.7%, 2%, and 9.3%, respectively, increasing significantly with age, Charlson index, and the presence of ≥ 2 risk factors (p < 0.001). Only 11% of patients in secondary prevention received combination therapy with statins, antithrombotics, and ACEI/ARB. Patients with ischaemic heart disease, as compared to non-coronary vascular patients, more frequently received statins (56.1% vs. 25.6%; p = 0.0001) and antithrombotic drugs (66.7% vs. 56.4%; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: We detected a low adherence to existing pharmacological guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. A priority is to establish appropriate training and dissemination of cardiovascular prevention guidelines in the field of primary care.

HbA(1c) in adults without known diabetes from southern Europe. Impact of the new diagnostic criteria in clinical practice.

AIMS: To analyse the differences in the prevalence of diabetes and dysglycaemia using fasting plasma glucose and HbA(1c) criteria. METHODS: Analytical cross-sectional study undertaken in a random sample of 2144 individuals (age 18-80 years) without known diabetes from the primary care setting in Malaga (Spain). Dysglycaemia was defined as fasting plasma glucose 5.6-6.9 mmol/l or HbA(1c) 39-46 mmol/mol (5.7-6.4%) and diabetes as fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/l or HbA(1c)≥ 48 mmol/mol (≥ 6.5%). RESULTS: The proportion of subjects who were normoglycaemic was significantly higher using fasting plasma glucose than HbA(1c) (83.5 vs. 65%) (P < 0.0001). Compared with fasting plasma glucose, HbA(1c) detects more cases of dysglycaemia (32 vs. 14.8%) (P < 0.0001) and diabetes (3 vs. 1.7%) (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In our environment, using HbA(1c) for the diagnosis of pre-diabetes and diabetes could increase the target population for preventive and therapeutic measures. Further cost-effectiveness studies are needed before the widespread diagnostic use of HbA(1c) can be recommended.

Hypertriglyceridemic waist: an alternative to the metabolic syndrome? Results of the IMAP Study (multidisciplinary intervention in primary care).

AIM: To study the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) in an urban adult Spanish population and its association with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: We undertook a cross-sectional analysis in a random sample of 2270 individuals (18-80 years of age). All participants provided a clinical history and underwent a physical examination. Blood and urine analyses were conducted. HTGW was diagnosed using anthropometric criteria for the European population (waist circumference: for men, ≥ 94 cm; for women, ≥ 80 cm) and fasting plasma triglycerides (TGs) ≥ 1.71 mmol l(-1) (≥ 150 mg per 100 ml). RESULTS: The prevalence of HTGW was 14.5% (men: 18.2%, women: 10.8%) and was significantly greater in men <59 years (P<0.001). HTGW was associated with older individuals, a low educational level and, in men, with a sedentary lifestyle (P<0.001). Subjects with HTGW had higher levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) and uric acid, lower levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, a higher blood pressure, a greater degree of obesity and a higher prevalence of T2DM (20.00 vs 6.4%, P<0.001) (odds ratio (OR) 3.61; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 2.60-5.01) and CVD (8.5 vs 3.4%, P<0.001) (OR 2.63; 95% CI, 1.66-4.16). The association of HTGW with T2DM and CVD disappeared after adjusting for age. The degree of concordance between HTGW and the metabolic syndrome (MS) was moderate, with both the Adult Treatment Panel III Report (ATP-III) and the International Diabetes Federation criteria (κ=0.51 and κ=0.58, respectively). Subjects with isolated HTGW as compared with those with isolated MS (ATP-III) were younger, had greater levels of total cholesterol, LDL-c and TGs and a lower prevalence of obesity, high blood pressure and dysglycemia. CONCLUSION: HTGW is a phenotype of cardiometabolic risk prevalent in the adult population in our environment. HTGW may be an alternative to MS to detect the population at risk for T2DM and CVD, especially in young individuals who do not fulfill the criteria for MS.

Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in an urban adult population from southern Spain. IMAP Study.

AIMS: To study the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in an urban population of Malaga, Spain and its relationship with educational level. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed with a random representative sample of 2270 individuals from the adult population (18­80 years) from a specific Health-Care Centre in Malaga City. All participants underwent a clinical interview, including social-demographical information and a physical examination. A blood sample was also drawn. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 43.6 ± 15.6 years and 57.6% had a low educational level. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was: smoking 27.7%, hypertension 33.1%, diabetes 7.1% and dyslipidaemia 65.4%. Over 60% were either overweight or obese, and 76.7% had a sedentary lifestyle. Except for smoking and a low-HDL cholesterol, the prevalence of the other cardiovascular risk factors increased with age. A low educational level was associated with a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, and this association was significant with regard to smoking, obesity, abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridaemia. CONCLUSIONS: The population studied presents a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, especially dyslipidaemia and obesity. The low academic level was associated with an increased prevalence of smoking, obesity and dyslipidaemia. People with a low socio-cultural level are a priority target for introducing policies to prevent and control cardiovascular disease.