Effect of a 36-month pharmaceutical care program on coronary heart disease risk in elderly diabetic and hypertensive patients

Abstract

Purpose. To examine the effect of an implemented pharmaceutical care program on coronary heart disease risk in elderly diabetic and hypertensive patients. Methods. A total of 200 elderly (≥60 years) diabetic and/or hypertensive patients were recruited into a randomized, controlled, prospective clinical trial with a 36-month follow-up, developed in a public primary health care unit in a municipality in the Brazilian State of Sao Paulo. A range of clinical measurements was evaluated at baseline and for 36 months. The intervention-group patients received pharmaceutical care from a clinical pharmacist, whereas the control-group patients received their usual care from the medical and nursing staff. The Framingham scoring method was used to estimate changes in the 10-year coronary heart disease risk of all patients. Results. A total of 194 patients completed the study. Significant reductions (P < 0.05) in the mean values (baseline vs. 36 months) of systolic blood pressure (156.7 mmHg vs. 133.7 mmHg; P < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (106.6 mmHg vs. 91.6 mmHg; P < 0.001), fasting glucose (135.1 mg/dL vs. 107.9 mg/dL; P < 0.001), hemoglobin A1C (7.7% vs. 7.0%; P < 0.001), triglycerides (206.0 mg/dL vs. 152.5 mg/dL; P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (112.4 mg/dL vs. 102.0 mg/dL; P < 0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (55.5 mg/dL vs. 65.5 mg/dL; P < 0.001), total cholesterol (202.5 mg/dL vs. 185.9 mg/dL; P < 0.001), body mass index (26.2 kg/m2 vs. 26.1 kg/m2; P < 0.001), and abdominal circumference (103.2 cm vs. 102.5 cm; P = 0.001) were observed in the intervention group, whereas no significant changes were verified in the control group. The mean Framingham risk prediction score in the intervention group was 6.8% at baseline and decreased to 4.5%; P < 0.001) after 36 months, but remained unchanged in the control group. Conclusion. The pharmaceutical care program resulted in better clinical measurements and reduced the cardiovascular risk scores in elderly diabetic and hypertensive patients over a 36-month period.