The aim of the TRECE study was to describe treatment in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). It was an observational, cross-sectional multicenter study of patients who were treated in either an internal medicine (n=50) or cardiology (n=50) department or in primary care (n=100) during 2006. The patients' history, risk factors and treatment were recorded, and noncardiac disease was evaluated using the Charlson index. Optimal medical treatment (OMT) was regarded as comprising combined administration of antiplatelet agents, statins, beta-blockers, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system blockers. In total, data on 2897 patients were analyzed; their mean age was 67.4 years and 71.5% were male. Overall, 25.9% (95% confidence interval, 25.6-26.2%) received OMT. Multivariate analysis showed that prescription of OMT was independently associated with hypertension, diabetes, current smoking, myocardial infarction and angina. In contrast, nonprescription of OMT was associated with atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a Charlson index>/=4. The main findings were that few CHD patients were prescribed OMT and that its prescription was determined by the presence of symptoms and comorbid conditions.