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FRIDAy, May 11 (HealthDay News) -- Although well-known medicines can curb a dangerous cardiovascular condition called atherothrombosis, at least 20 percent of people who could benefit from the drugs are still not getting them, a new study finds.
Atherothrombosis occurs when blood collects in the arteries, raising clotting risks. The condition can be well-managed with a range of drugs that include statins, antiplatelets, beta blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
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But doctors from the University of California, San Francisco, say hospital outpatient facilities aren't keeping track of patients who need the preventive medicines.
"There is a need for implementing systems for improving care in out-patient practice," said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California in San Francisco. "A large number of patients have stroke and cardiovascular deaths that could have been prevented."
Getting the right meds may also depend on where in the United States you live, he added. Patients in the Northeast received more of the clot-preventing drugs than those living in other parts of the country, despite the existence of clear guidelines supporting their use.
"The extent of regional variations is surprising," Fonarow said. "The current thinking is that the guidelines are distributed widely and that doctors in all regions would be treating patients in a similar fashion."
He was presented the findings Thursday at the American Heart Association's Annual Scientific Forum, in Washington, D.C.
For the study, Fonarow and his colleagues studied data from 26,000 U.S. patients enrolled in the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) trial, an ongoing international study of more than 68,000 patients with atherothrombosis managed in primary-care offices in 45 countries.
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