Aims: To study the implications of European guidelines on the use of antihypertensives and/or lipid-lowering drugs (LLDs) for primary prevention in a Norwegian population.
Methods and results: The Tromsø study is a population-based study in the municipality Tromsø, Norway (from 1974 to till now). This analysis includes 45-79-year-old participants in 2001 (n = 6362, attendance rate 86%). From the age of 60 years in men and 70 years in women, almost all participants were defined as high-risk individuals according to the European guidelines, with established cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or a 10-year risk score of > or =5%. In the primary prevention subgroup of the 45-64-year-olds, recommended antihypertensive and/or LLD use would be higher in men only, 42% compared with 12% on current medication. Among the 65-79-year-olds, >90% would be eligible for antihypertensives and/or LLDs in both sexes when compared with current treatment rates of <30%. In total, 40% of all participants aged 45-79 would be candidates for primary prevention, compared with 15% on current medication.
Conclusion: The implementation of the European guidelines could imply a doubling of the numbers of Norwegian adults on cardiovascular medication for primary prevention. Contributors to the increase would be more frequent drug use in men and elderly people, particularly for LLD use.