Effects of chronic disease management on patients with carotid atherosclerosis and the analysis of the related indicators

Abstract

Objective \nTo evaluate the effects of chronic disease management on carotid atherosclerosis. \n \n \nMethods \nFrom May 2016 to October 2016, 500 subjects with carotid atherosclerosis diagnosed by ultrasound at the Physical examination center of the First Hospital of Jilin University were enrolled. The participants were aged 55-65 (60.7±3.5) years. They were divided into the control group (n=250) and intervention group (n=250) using a random number table; a total of 20patients, 13 in the control group and 7 in the intervention group, were lost to follow-up at the end of the study. The control group only received anti-atherosclerosis treatment, while the intervention group underwent additional chronic disease management, and a 1-year follow-up study was conducted. The health of all the subjects was assessed at the beginning of the study and after the study, based on the health file. The chi-square test, two independent sample t-tests, and rank sum test were used to evaluate the effect of chronic disease management on carotid atherosclerosis. \n \n \nResults \nAfter 1 year of intervention, the proportion of patients with an unhealthy lifestyle (smoking, excessive drinking, high-salt diet intake, high-fat diet intake, lack of exercise, and overweight/obesity) decreased in the intervention group (10.3%, 13.1%, 7.8%, 8.6%, 6.2%, 28.0%, vs. 28.8%, 35.0%, 21.0%, 22.6%, 13.2%, 39.5%; χ2=26.49, 33.01, 17.09, 18.03, 6.80, 7.21; P<0.05), while the drug compliance increased (44.4% vs. 35.4%, χ2=4.15, P<0.05), and the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoproteincholesterol (LDL-C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), uric acid (UA) and blood pressure (BP) compliance rate also increased (91.8%, 73.3%, 83.1%, 83.1%, 52.3%, 76.5%, 74.1%, 60.5%, vs. 67.5%,72.8%,28.0%,58.8%, respectively; χ2=26.86, 8.92, 15.97, 7.49, 29.81, 17.39, respectively; P<0.05); all indicators, except the drug compliance control rate, were better than those in the control group. After 1 year of intervention, the degree of carotid atherosclerosis in the intervention group was significantly reduced compared to that in the control group. \n \n \nConclusions \nChronic disease management could effectively interfere the control risk factors of atherosclerosis, such as smoking, drinking, obesity or overweight, BP, levels of FPG, blood lipids, and UA, improve drug compliance, delay the progression of atherosclerosis and provide a basis for the construction of the atherosclerosis management model. \n \n \nKey words: \nAtherosclerosis;\xa0Risk factors;\xa0Lifestyle;\xa0Chronic disease management