Awareness and perceptions of cardiologists towards systemic inflammation in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: A multi-national survey across 5 geographical regional sub-groups

Abstract Background Despite improvement in the management of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease (ASCVD+CKD), cardiovascular (CV) mortality remains unacceptably high. Evidence suggests that systemic inflammation (SI) is one of the key drivers for disease progression, yet clinical perceptions towards SI amongst cardiologists is poorly understood. Purpose FLAME-ASCVD (systemic inFLAMmation and rolE of hsCRP as a biomarker in AtheroSclerotic CardioVascular Disease) survey assessed cardiologist’s perceptions and awareness towards the role of SI and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in patients (pts.) with ASCVD+CKD. Overall results were reported earlier1 and here we present results by sub-groups across 5 geographical regions. Methods This was a multinational, cross-sectional, online survey-based study conducted during March-May 2023. Eligible participants were cardiologists (interventional and general) who treated ≥15 ASCVD+CKD pts./month and practiced for ≥3 years. To minimize selection bias, specific study objective was not disclosed until eligibility criteria was met. An online questionnaire was used. Analysis included 5 sub-groups: Europe (EU: France, Germany, Italy, UK), Asia Pacific (AP: Australia, India), East Asia (EA: China, Japan), LatAm (LA: Brazil), Middle East (ME: Saudi Arabia). Descriptive statistics were used. Results Of the 1755 respondents, 602 eligible cardiologists (~60/country) completed the survey across the EU (n=241), AP (n=121), EA (n=120), LA (n=60), and ME (n=60). Hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and lifestyle (diet/exercise) were consistently amongst the top 3-5 CV risk factors discussed with pts, across all regions. SI as a CV risk factor was discussed consistently less across regions (overall 10th at 43%, ³9th across regions, EU: 30%) (Table 1). Across regions, >70% of cardiologists acknowledged an intention to consider testing for SI, with the lowest being in the EU at 46%. Of those in the EU who did not consider testing, 53% (n=129) cited lack of medication as the reason. Across all regions, SI was consistently perceived as a risk factor for recurrent CV events (³65%) and residual inflammatory risk (47-85%), yet a noticeable proportion (52-92%) cardiologists acknowledged a need to learn more about SI in ASCVD+CKD (highest in ME, 92%). While overall (aided: 47% [n= 571]; unaided: 24%) considered hsCRP test for SI, few variations were observed (EA/AP/EU, aided: 55/52/33 and unaided: 22/24/03) (Table 2). Proven efficacy of hsCRP test, availability of medication for SI, and guideline recommendation were acknowledged as unmet needs to inform clinical care in ASCVD+CKD. Conclusion In this survey across regional sub-groups, discussion of SI as a CV risk factor was consistently low. Barring few noticeable variations in testing patterns in EU, perceptions towards SI were generally consistent. There is a need for better understanding and guidance on SI and hsCRP testing in practice.