COPD is a typical example of chronic disease. As such, treatment adherence tends to be as low as between 30% and 50%, with specific issues in COPD due to the use of inhaled therapies. Decreased adherence in COPD is associated with worse outcomes, with increased risk for exacerbations and long-term mortality. Factors that impact adherence are multiple, some related to patient, some related to clinicians and finally some related to healthcare system. Among clinician factors, prescription of simplified treatment regimens delivered by an inhaler adapted to the patient’s characteristics is crucial. Although it has been observed a huge improvement in the design and usability of inhaler devices for COPD in the last two centuries, there is still a clear gap in this field. Smart inhalers as well as simplified treatment regimens could improve adherence and therefore improve long-term outcomes in COPD. Plain Language Summary: Treatment adherence in COPD is crucial as in many other chronic diseases, with specific issues due to inhaled route, and many factors involved. Low adherence in COPD has been linked to an increased risk of exacerbations and future mortality. Many interventions have been developed to improve treatment adherence in COPD. This review summarizes the current knowledge and future prospects for this important aspect of COPD treatment.
Introduction and objectives: Heart failure (HF) is a major health problem that causes high mortality and hospitalization rates. This study aims to determine the HF prevalence rates in populations aged both ≥18 years and ≥50 years and to assess its association with cardiovascular diseases and chronic kidney disease. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a primary care setting, with a population-based random sample of 6588 people aged 18.0–102.8 years. Crude and adjusted prevalence rates of HF were calculated. The associations of renal and cardiometabolic factors with HF were assessed in both populations using univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The HF crude prevalence rates were 2.8% (95%CI: 2.4–3.2) in adults (≥18 years), and 4.6% (95%CI: 4.0–5.3) in the population aged ≥ 50 years, without significant differences between males and females in both populations. The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence rates were 2.1% (male: 1.9%; female: 2.3%) in the overall adult population, and 4.5% (male: 4.2%; female: 4.8%) in the population aged ≥ 50 years, reaching 10.0% in the population aged ≥ 70 years. Atrial fibrillation, hypertension, low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, sedentary lifestyle, and diabetes were independently associated with HF in both populations. A total of 95.7% (95%CI: 92.7–98.6) of the population with HF had an elevated cardiovascular risk. Conclusions: This study reports that HF prevalence increases from 4.5% in the population over 50 years to 10% in the population over 70 years. The main clinical conditions that are HF-related are sedentary lifestyle, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, diabetes, low eGFR, stroke, and CHD.
Background/Objectives: Achieving guideline-recommended low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) remains challenging despite intensive lipid-lowering therapy. Bempedoic acid (BA) offers an oral therapeutic option, although data on its clinical performance and patient-level determinants of response in real-world Spanish settings are limited. Methods: We conducted a prospective multicentre study across the four healthcare areas of Cáceres province, Spain, including consecutive CCS patients with LDL-C ≥ 55 mg/dL despite stable intensive lipid-lowering therapy. BA 180 mg/day was added to background treatment. Lipid parameters, metabolic profile, and safety outcomes were assessed after a median follow-up of 28 weeks (IQR 23–47). Multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors associated with of LDL-C reduction and target attainment. A total of 118 patients were analyzed for outcomes. Results: A total of 118 patients (mean age 62.4 ± 10.0 years; 79.2% male) were included. BA reduced LDL-C by 22.8% (−16.36 mg/dL; p < 0.001), enabling 48.3% of patients to achieve LDL-C < 55 mg/dL. Higher baseline LDL-C (β = −0.515; p = 0.001) and the presence of diabetes mellitus (B = 13.8 mg/dL; p = 0.024) were independently associated with greater LDL-C reduction. Notably, 56.3% of patients presented with elevated baseline lipoprotein(a) levels (>50 mg/dL), describing a high underlying burden of residual risk. BA was well tolerated, with a modest increase in uric acid levels but no gout events and a high treatment persistence rate (94.4%). Conclusions: In a real-world CCS population receiving intensive lipid-lowering therapy, BA provides clinically meaningful LDL-C reduction with a favorable safety profile in this multicentre cohort from Cáceres province. Patients with higher baseline LDL-C and diabetes derive greater benefit, supporting a more personalized approach to therapy. These findings reinforce the role of BA in Spanish patients as an intermediate step in lipid-lowering strategies before escalation to more costly therapies, addressing the scarcity of local real-world data.