[CardiReset: general medicine and monitoring of cardiovascular risk factors in a whole region].

BACKGROUND: The CardioRESET project was carried out in 2005 to evaluate the feasibility of a cardiovascular risk factor survey by general practitioners in Friuli Venezia Giulia, a north-eastern Italian region. METHODS: We randomized 2701 subjects (1336 males and 1365 females), aged 35-74 years, from the general population. The family doctors surveyed the randomized population sample using the standardized methods of the Osservatorio Epidemiologico Cardiovascolare, a reference national survey. RESULTS: The participation rate was 85.4% and all variables were recorded at least in 60% of subjects. Mean values of risk factors, prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and data on their control, smoking habits were comparable with data from the Osservatorio Epidemiologico Cardiovascolare; only the mean value of low-density lipoprotein cholesterolemia was higher in our region. CONCLUSIONS: This experience points out that in a small region it is possible to engage general practitioners to achieve a standardized surveillance of cardiovascular risk factors at a low cost.