Expected clinical and economic outcomes of intensified secondary prevention in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome or coronary revascularization
Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) impose significant economic costs, estimated to amount to nearly 3.6 billion euros annually in Finland. Despite advances in risk factor management, the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events remains high. Secondary prevention can help reduce recurrent events and health care costs.
Methods The study evaluated the effects of different secondary prevention scenarios on recurrent events and health care costs using a real patient cohort and the Smart-Reach risk tool. The analysis examined scenarios where key risk factors – LDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and smoking – were managed to meet treatment goals.
Results At baseline, the five-year recurrent event risk was 28%, with total healthcare costs amounting to 94.3 million euros. Depending on the scenario, the absolute reduction in recurrent event risk ranged from 4.4 to 12.3 percentage points, corresponding to a potential savings of approximately 25.4 million euros in social and healthcare costs over five years.
Conclusions The study demonstrates that more effective secondary prevention could significantly reduce cardiovascular events and lower healthcare costs. However, a key challenge is the financing of preventive measures, as the current funding model for wellbeing services counties does not support long-term investments in prevention.
Minna Oksanen, Annukka Kivelä, Kristian Taipale, Tuomas T. Rissanen, Janne Martikainen
