Original scientific paper
The Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Patients from Croatian Zagorje County Treated at Department of Medicine, Zabok General Hospital from 2000 to 2006
Ksenija Pešek
Tomislav Pešek
Marko Radoš
Damir Buković
Rajko Fureš
Višeslav Ćuk
Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients treated for coronary
heart disease (CHD) at Department of Medicine, Zabok General Hospital during the 2000–2006 period. Cardiovascular
diseases are a group of diseases that occur due to arterial. The risk factors that lead to the development and occurrence
of cardiovascular disease are hypertension, cigarette smoking, hyperholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes
mellitus and positive family hystory. Additional factors favoring the occurrence of cardiovascular disease include overweight,
inadequate physical activity, and emotional stress. Data on all patients hospitalized and diagnosed with CHD at
Department of Medicine, Zabok General Hospital during the 2000–2006 period were analyzed for the prevalence of risk
factors for CHD, i.e. hypertension, cigarette smoking, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, diabetes mellitus and
positive family history of cardiovascular disease. Hypercholesterolemia was defined by a cholesterol level higher than 5.1
mmol/L, hypertension from histoy data and blood pressure measurement on admission greater than 140/90 mmHg, diabetes
mellitus from history data, and hypertriglyceridemia by a triglyceride level greater than 1.7 mmol/L. Information
on heredity and cigarette smoking was collected from history and a questionnaire filled out on admission. All laboratory
values were determined on patient admission to the hospital. Analysis of the risk factors for CHD recorded in patients
from Zagorje County during the 2000–2006 period revealed hypertension to be the most common risk factor in our patients.
According to sex, CHD was found to show a male preponderance. According to age at admission, CHD predominated
in the > 70 age group, which accounted for one third of all patients, followed by a comparable proportion of the
50–60 and 60–70 age groups, i.e. still active population groups. As CHD is one of the leading health threats worldwide,
estimated to remain so at least by 2020, it is fully justified to invest all efforts in the study of cardiovascular disease. New
research projects should be focused on the prevention and early detection of the disease, improvement of diagnosis procedures,
introduction of novel therapeutic options, use of new concepts, and due survey of the measures taken. CHD poses
great socioeconomic burden upon every community in industrialized societies because of the ever younger age at onset.
Actions should be taken to improve awareness of the CHD risks and morbidity in the population at large, stimulating favorable
lifestyle and dietary modifications, and one’s own health awareness, in order to upgrade the control of risk factors
for and morbidity of cardiovascular disease.
Keywords
prevalence of risk factors; cardiovascular disease; coronary heart disease
Hrčak ID:
26884
URI
Publication date:
3.9.2007.
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