What are the risk factors of ischaemic cardiac disease (ICD) knowledge at our physicians? The comparison with the condition in 1991

Overview

In 1991 we investigated the knowledge about risk factors of ischaemic cardiac disease at our physicians. The objective of study was to find out changes of the last 12 years. Although the cardiovascular mortality has been decreasing within last 10 years, it stays to be the most often reason of dying in Czech Republic. In 2003 we used the questionnaire about risk factors of ICD for 470 physicians who were taking part at the courses of Institute of postgradual studies in medicine (IPVZ), Prague. The physicians of age 31-40 and younger represented majority of the group. If we compare situation in 1991 with our study, there is the noticeable decline in the group of physicians who don’t know their own levels of big cholesterol (1991 41.6% – 2003 15.8%) and glycemia (34.6%–15.8%). This improvement of both parameters was important. The knowledge of own blood pressure was already in 1991 good – there is no change. The number of physicians in study who don’t know their own blood pressure was 5.6%. 50.6% of physicians in study have known the correct definition of big cholesterol physiological levels, 61.6% in LDL cholesterol, 67.1% in HDL cholesterol and 49.9% in triglycerids. Only 49% of physicians have known the definition of diabetes mellitus according to glycemia on an empty stomach, which is more surprising, because a very important part of respondents were the specialists in the internal medicine. The 75% of the respondents have known the correct definition of hypertension. In spite of the fact the quarter of the respondents does not know the definition of hypertension. As a conclusion we can summarize that the knowledge of the basic risk factors has improved among the physicians but the knowledge of the lipids and blood pressure are hardly optimal.

Key words:
risk factors of ICD – hypertension – diabetes mellitus – lipids – development of knowledge – physicians