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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Why is this happening?
"We can only make hypotheses," Brilakis said. "Maybe some of these patients are so sick that physicians decide that being aggressive with them would not be the best course of action. Or they have been told many times to do something, and maybe physicians just give up on them."
Or maybe it's a question of money, he added. The incidence of atherosclerosis is highest among people without a lot of money, he said, "and they may not have the same health insurance coverage that other people do."
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One problem is that when people think of heart disease, they think only of the heart, said Dr. Adrian F. Hernandez, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University, and a member of the research team.
"Most people just focus on coronary disease," Hernandez said. "People may not realize the risk that is involved with multiple areas of vascular [blood vessel] disease."
"We need more education in terms of the principles of care for high-risk patients," Hernandez said. "The hope is that by highlighting this issue, we will have greater adherence to the guidelines of care."
The next step is a planned study to pinpoint the reasons for differences in care, Brilakis said. That study will question both physicians and people hospitalized for heart disease about all the factors that can affect treatment decisions, he said.
"We want to get more specific," Brilakis said. "Are patients saying they don't want aggressive treatment? Do they not have enough insurance? Why are physicians reluctant to give aggressive treatment?"
More information
Details of the "Get With the Guidelines" program are described by the American Heart Association.
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