Role of Community Pharmacies in Spreading the Concept of Vascular Aging in Daily Clinical Practice

Abstract The concept of vascular aging has emerged in recent years as a comprehensive and easily understandable way for assessing cardiovascular (CV) risk, especially in subjects whose risk is underestimated by classic risk tables. However, knowledge among clinicians is very limited, and its use in...

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Main Authors: Enrique Rodilla, Monika Aichberger, Florian Ardelt, Vicente Baixauli, Sergio Cinza, María Soledad Fernández, Verónica Fernández, Luis García-Ortiz, Ana-Karen Guzmán-Aguayo, Bernhard Hametner, Antonela Jiménez, Cristina Lugones-Sánchez, Christopher C. Mayer, Zuri Montalar, Telmo Pereira, Valérie Santschi, Kathrin Danninger, Thomas Weber, the TOGETHER-Project Research Group
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-05-01
Series:Artery Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s44200-024-00066-4
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author Enrique Rodilla
Monika Aichberger
Florian Ardelt
Vicente Baixauli
Sergio Cinza
María Soledad Fernández
Verónica Fernández
Luis García-Ortiz
Ana-Karen Guzmán-Aguayo
Bernhard Hametner
Antonela Jiménez
Cristina Lugones-Sánchez
Christopher C. Mayer
Zuri Montalar
Telmo Pereira
Valérie Santschi
Kathrin Danninger
Thomas Weber
the TOGETHER-Project Research Group
author_facet Enrique Rodilla
Monika Aichberger
Florian Ardelt
Vicente Baixauli
Sergio Cinza
María Soledad Fernández
Verónica Fernández
Luis García-Ortiz
Ana-Karen Guzmán-Aguayo
Bernhard Hametner
Antonela Jiménez
Cristina Lugones-Sánchez
Christopher C. Mayer
Zuri Montalar
Telmo Pereira
Valérie Santschi
Kathrin Danninger
Thomas Weber
the TOGETHER-Project Research Group
author_sort Enrique Rodilla
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The concept of vascular aging has emerged in recent years as a comprehensive and easily understandable way for assessing cardiovascular (CV) risk, especially in subjects whose risk is underestimated by classic risk tables. However, knowledge among clinicians is very limited, and its use in daily clinical practice is even less common. Furthermore, community pharmacies are an integral part of the healthcare systems. These are highly accessible health professionals with adequate training who deserve greater responsibility in the management of hypertension and CV risk. Simultaneously, it is noteworthy that new devices have emerged on the market that allow early vascular aging (EVA) to be measured in a simple and reliable way based on estimated pulse-wave velocity. Our objective is to describe the evidence on the role of community pharmacies in assessing EVA according to published evidence. To our knowledge, there are four studies performed in Austria, Portugal, and Spain. The main results of this review are: (1) community pharmacies have demonstrated their ability to carry out large-scale vascular age estimation in international, community-based healthcare environment; (2) the prevalence of preclinical arterial damage (EVA) in the population of pharmacy customers does not differ in subjects who spontaneously visit community pharmacies compared to the general population; (3) the determining factors of arterial stiffness are very similar in the three countries studied; (4) the estimation of pulse-wave velocity in community pharmacies simultaneously involves the determination of blood pressure, demonstrating a poor control of hypertension—both in known and unknown hypertensive patients and similarly in all three countries. The determination of EVA is not superimposable to the measurement of blood pressure and provides added value in terms of vascular risk management.
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spelling doaj-art-07a35157a8a447768e28bd63dfa7d55c2025-08-20T03:16:31ZengBMCArtery Research1876-44012025-05-013111810.1007/s44200-024-00066-4Role of Community Pharmacies in Spreading the Concept of Vascular Aging in Daily Clinical PracticeEnrique Rodilla0Monika Aichberger1Florian Ardelt2Vicente Baixauli3Sergio Cinza4María Soledad Fernández5Verónica Fernández6Luis García-Ortiz7Ana-Karen Guzmán-Aguayo8Bernhard Hametner9Antonela Jiménez10Cristina Lugones-Sánchez11Christopher C. Mayer12Zuri Montalar13Telmo Pereira14Valérie Santschi15Kathrin Danninger16Thomas Weber17the TOGETHER-Project Research GroupHypertension Unit, Hospital de Sagunto, FISABIO, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU UniversitiesAustrian Chamber of Pharmacists, Upper Austria (APO)Upper Austrian Society for General and Family Medicine (OBGAM)Spanish Society of Family and Communitary Pharmacies (SEFAC)Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN)Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de MadridSpanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN)Unidad de Investigación de Atención Primaria de Salamanca (APISAL), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL)Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de MadridCenter for Health & Bioresources, Medical Signal Analysis, AIT Austrian Institute of TechnologySpanish Society of Family and Communitary Pharmacies (SEFAC)Unidad de Investigación de Atención Primaria de Salamanca (APISAL), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL)Center for Health & Bioresources, Medical Signal Analysis, AIT Austrian Institute of TechnologyHypertension Unit, Hospital de Sagunto, FISABIO, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, CEU UniversitiesH&TRC - Health & Technology Research Center, Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic University of CoimbraLa Source, School of Nursing Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western SwitzerlandCardiology Department, Klinikum Wels-GrieskirchenCardiology Department, Klinikum Wels-GrieskirchenAbstract The concept of vascular aging has emerged in recent years as a comprehensive and easily understandable way for assessing cardiovascular (CV) risk, especially in subjects whose risk is underestimated by classic risk tables. However, knowledge among clinicians is very limited, and its use in daily clinical practice is even less common. Furthermore, community pharmacies are an integral part of the healthcare systems. These are highly accessible health professionals with adequate training who deserve greater responsibility in the management of hypertension and CV risk. Simultaneously, it is noteworthy that new devices have emerged on the market that allow early vascular aging (EVA) to be measured in a simple and reliable way based on estimated pulse-wave velocity. Our objective is to describe the evidence on the role of community pharmacies in assessing EVA according to published evidence. To our knowledge, there are four studies performed in Austria, Portugal, and Spain. The main results of this review are: (1) community pharmacies have demonstrated their ability to carry out large-scale vascular age estimation in international, community-based healthcare environment; (2) the prevalence of preclinical arterial damage (EVA) in the population of pharmacy customers does not differ in subjects who spontaneously visit community pharmacies compared to the general population; (3) the determining factors of arterial stiffness are very similar in the three countries studied; (4) the estimation of pulse-wave velocity in community pharmacies simultaneously involves the determination of blood pressure, demonstrating a poor control of hypertension—both in known and unknown hypertensive patients and similarly in all three countries. The determination of EVA is not superimposable to the measurement of blood pressure and provides added value in terms of vascular risk management.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44200-024-00066-4HypertensionCommunity pharmaciesPrimary careEstimated pulse wave velocityEarly vascular aging
spellingShingle Enrique Rodilla
Monika Aichberger
Florian Ardelt
Vicente Baixauli
Sergio Cinza
María Soledad Fernández
Verónica Fernández
Luis García-Ortiz
Ana-Karen Guzmán-Aguayo
Bernhard Hametner
Antonela Jiménez
Cristina Lugones-Sánchez
Christopher C. Mayer
Zuri Montalar
Telmo Pereira
Valérie Santschi
Kathrin Danninger
Thomas Weber
the TOGETHER-Project Research Group
Role of Community Pharmacies in Spreading the Concept of Vascular Aging in Daily Clinical Practice
Artery Research
Hypertension
Community pharmacies
Primary care
Estimated pulse wave velocity
Early vascular aging
title Role of Community Pharmacies in Spreading the Concept of Vascular Aging in Daily Clinical Practice
title_full Role of Community Pharmacies in Spreading the Concept of Vascular Aging in Daily Clinical Practice
title_fullStr Role of Community Pharmacies in Spreading the Concept of Vascular Aging in Daily Clinical Practice
title_full_unstemmed Role of Community Pharmacies in Spreading the Concept of Vascular Aging in Daily Clinical Practice
title_short Role of Community Pharmacies in Spreading the Concept of Vascular Aging in Daily Clinical Practice
title_sort role of community pharmacies in spreading the concept of vascular aging in daily clinical practice
topic Hypertension
Community pharmacies
Primary care
Estimated pulse wave velocity
Early vascular aging
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s44200-024-00066-4
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