Time trends in preventive drug treatment after myocardial infarction in older patients.

Secondary preventive drug treatment in patients aged > or =60 years with a history of myocardial infarction was investigated for age-dependent differences in time trends. Sixteen general practices in the Netherlands participated. Preventive treatment with at least three of four drugs (antithrombotics, statins, beta-blockers, and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) increased significantly over time in all three age strata of older patients. Although the greatest relative increase (2.2 times greater) took place in patients aged > or =80 years, these patients consistently had most room for improvement.