A nationwide cross-sectional epidemiological study of cardiovascular risk factors as a tool for management of primary and secondary prevention in Latvia

Abstract

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – EU funding. Main funding source(s): EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND MINISTRY OF HEALTH, LATVIA Background. An increasing prevalence (PREV.) of noncomunicable diseases is a major public health concern in Latvia. Regular nationwide epidemiological studies present an opportunity to estimate the dinamics of PREV of health risk factors (RF) and thus assist in planning resources and improving prevention strategies at national level. Objective. The aim was to analyze the PREV of cardiovascular RF identified in a epidemiological study in 2019-2020. To assess changes in RF prevalence, the results were compared to data from a similar study in 2009-2010. Methods. 4070 inhabitants (age 25-74) of Latvia enrolled. The statistical sample (6000 pers.) was random selected from the Housing Register, Central Statistical Bureau (1’209’756 INDV). The survey included an interview, physical examination (body mass index (BMI), arterial pressure etc.) and venous blood sample collection for fasting glucose (Glu), total cholesterol (TC), high and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (Tg) measurement. The data were processed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Results. The mean number of RF ((AH, TC, LDL-C, Tg, BMI, smoking, arterial hypertension) was 2,93 ±0.1 (mean ± SE) per person for the overall study population. The men group had a significantly greater number of RF than the female group (3.15 ± 0.15 vs.2.55 ± 0.12). A positive correlation between age and the number of RF was found. In the age group 65 and more, the mean number of RF decreased in men and stabilized in women. Although the mean number of RFs has decreased statistically insignificantly over 10 years, changes in the PREV of individual RFs are significant (see table). Decrease of PREV of elevated TC, LDL-C, Glu ≥3.0 mmol/L, as well as a decrease in the PREV of young smokers, men, should be noted. Conclusion. The nationwide data can be used as the baseline characteristics against which other measurements can be compared down the road including of health prevention activities Prevalence of most important RF (%) 2019-2020 2009-2010 RF All Men Women All Men Women TC≥5.0 mmol/L 63.2× 60.7× 65.4× 75,2 72.0 78.0 LDL-C≥3.0 mmol/L 62.0× 63.1× 61.1× 73.7 73.1 73.9 Glucose 5.6-6.99 mmol/L 22.1× 27.1× 17.8× 28.7 35.3 24.9 Arterial Hypertension 38.0× 41.1× 35.3× 44.8 52.9 40.2 BMI≥30.0 kg/m² 29.1 28.1 29.8 30.7 25.6 32.6 Daily smokers 25-34 y 30.3× 21.8 46.3 22.3 (x) p below 0.05 comparing years 2019-20 and 2009-10

Coronary Artery Disease in Women: Lessons Learned from Single-Center SPECT Registry and Future Directions for INOCA Patients

“…Based on World Health Organization (WHO) cardiovascular mortality rates, Latvia is in a very high-risk region, and nearly every female patient aged more than 40 years and with non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol >3 mmol/L has a high or very high 10-year risk of cardiovascular events as calculated by SCORE-2 or SCORE2-OP risk stratification charts [1]. A population-based cross-sectional study of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRs) in Latvia from 2009 to 2019 also revealed that women aged 25-74 years are in a very high CVR group: 61% of women have dyslipidemia, more than 33% have Medicina 2022, 58, 1139 2 of 12 arterial hypertension (AH), and 28% are overweight [2]. The data indicate the necessity for focused diagnostics and the early detection of cardiovascular disease.…”