Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.15836/ccar2015.274
Prevention of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases: Quo Vadis? A New Example from Zagreb
Mario Ivanuša
; Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Zagreb, Croatia
Vedrana Škerk
; Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Zagreb, Croatia
Marija Heinrich
; Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Zagreb, Croatia
Nada Hrstić
; Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Zagreb, Croatia
Goran Krstačić
; Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivana Portolan Pajić
; City Office for Health, City of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The central event of the World Heart Day 2015 in Croatia was an open public-health initiative screening for leading cardiovascular risk factors in the city of Zagreb. Individuals with very high risk factor prevalence were accepted into the “Guardians of the Heart” program that assessed cardiovascular risk and offered advice on health. The goal of this article is to report on these results and demonstrate the significance of detecting specific risk factors in individuals with high cardiovascular risk.
After an announcement in the media, participants voluntarily applied for free assessment of cardiovascular risk factors during the public event. For interested citizens, health professionals determined the body-mass index (BMI), measured blood pressure (BP), and determined glucose levels and total cholesterol from capillary blood. The first 100 participants with extremely high prevalence of individual risk factors were invited to further detailed evaluation and cardiovascular risk assessment at the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation in Zagreb. The results of both actions are
presented here.
The open public-health action was attended by 308 participants, of whom 59.7% were women and 40.3% men. The average age was 68.8±13.2 years of age. Elevated BP (92.5%) and BMI (46.5% overweight, 25.7% obese) were the most common risk factors. Highly elevated total cholesterol levels were registered in 11.8% participants, and highly elevated glucose levels in the capillary blood in 4.1%. Of the 100participants invited to detailed cardiovascular risk assessment, 77% responded, of whom 75.2% were women and 24.7% men. Increased BP levels were found in 90.9% of these respondents; dyslipidemia in 85.7%, increased waist size in 84.4%, and 78.9% had elevated BMI. We performed an additional analysis on the results of 30 participants with existing hypertension and dyslipidemia and found elevated risk factors, including elevated BMI (80.0%), waist size (76.7%), urate levels (23.3%), C-reactive protein (16.7%), creatinine (10.0%), and blood glucose levels (10.0%).
The most common risk factors in the participants of this public-health action were arterial hypertension and increased BMI. In participants with existing hypertension and dyslipidemia we noted a dismissive approach to these risk factors, both in the sense of non-treatment.
Keywords
cardiovascular risk factor; screening; World Heart Day
Hrčak ID:
153259
URI
Publication date:
10.1.2016.
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