Improvement of cardiovascular risk profile in an elderly population of low social level: the ICON (Improving Cardiovascular risk profile in Older Neapolitans) study.

Older age and low socio-economic conditions are associated with poor control of cardiovascular risk factors (RFs). We assessed the prevalence and awareness of cardiovascular RFs in 503 elderly outpatients of low social status attending two public Internal Medicine clinics in Naples, and studied the interaction of education and employment level with risk profile. The therapeutic intervention was oriented to improve patients' motivation through a positive patient-physician relationship, in keeping with the current guidelines for hypertension. The effect of treatment was evaluated by comparing retrospectively the level of cardiovascular RFs at baseline and at the last follow-up examination performed within 31 October 2005. Only 33.3% of patients (age=68+/-6 years) had attended primary school. Overall (current or previous) employment level was also low. Obesity, hypertension and dyslipidaemia were present in most patients, diabetes in 17.3% of them. In all 8.0% of hypertensives, 16.1% of diabetics and 24.7% of dyslipidaemiacs were unaware of their diseases. Cardiovascular risk profile was worse at lower educational and employment levels. Odds ratios for the metabolic syndrome were 0.28 (95% confidence interval (CI)=0.15-0.52) and 0.35 (0.20-0.62) in the most qualified of three education and employment groups, respectively, compared to the lowest ones. The level of all cardiovascular RFs was effectively reduced during treatment. Control rate of most RFs improved significantly (for hypertension, from 12.8 to 36.5%, P<0.001). These patients had a high prevalence of cardiovascular RFs, which correlated with their educational and work activity levels. Awareness of their health status was unsatisfactory. Treatment, specifically addressing patient-physician relationship, favourably affected cardiovascular risk profile.