Cohort Profile: The CArdiovascular Risk factors for hEalth Services research (CARhES) cohort study

Why was the cohort set up?Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has a major individual, health and social impact.It is the leading cause of death worldwide, causes high disability, reduces the quality of life of those affected 1 and has a major economic impact. 2 The high frequency of its main individual risk factors, such as smoking, dyslipidaemia, high body mass index, hyperglycemia and high blood pressure, together with the marked ageing of the population, suggests that the frequency and impact of CVD are expected to remain unchanged in the coming decades, 3 with an increase in certain vulnerable groups. 4,5VD prevention, at both the population and individual levels, is a priority for current healthcare systems.Better control of risk factors for CVD is associated with a reduction in CVD risk and, consequently, with fewer hospital admissions and cardiovascular events. 6The most recent cardiovascular prevention guidelines 7 stress the importance of adequate adherence to both lifestyle and pharmacological measures for effective CVD prevention.The guidelines emphasize the need to take into account patient preferences and individual needs when defining treatment goals and designing interventions.Despite the existence of clinical guidelines, there is significant variability in patient care, e.g. the available diagnostic techniques, 8 the different levels of care 9 or their variable adherence to pharmacological treatments. 10The observed inequalities depend on the individual characteristics of the patients, the caregiving professionals involved and the health system itself. 11,12[15]