Prevalence of Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Original ArticleCardiovascular diseases are a major public health problem not only in our environment 1 but also worldwide, because they constitute the major cause of morbidity and mortality and account for the most expensive costs in medical assistance.Due to epidemiology, we have been able to identify the determinants and the aggravating factors of heart diseases or risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease, and their mechanism of action. With the appearance of population studies with large samples, such as the Framingham Study, we have been able to determine some risk factors more safely. This knowledge recognized as scientifically accurate has enabled an epidemiological approach aiming at the primary or secondary prevention, or both, of heart diseases.Some major risk factors for coronary artery disease have been very well established 2 , such as systemic arterial hypertension, smoking, dyslipidemias, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes mellitus, and familial antecedents. We need to know the prevalence of these risk factors, isolated or in combination, because it is through the reduction of these risk factors and using primary and secondary prevention programs that we will achieve effectiveness in any health program.The familial antecedents are unmodifiable and independent risk factors that, even though having already been studied 3 , still require further investigation. Patients whose first-degree relatives develop early coronary artery disease have higher risks of developing coronary artery disease than the general population.Cigarette smoking doubles the risk for coronary artery disease, 30% of which are attributed to the number of cigarettes smoked. In a study 4,5 with 106,745 males in Korea, tobacco was a major and modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, regardless of the serum cholesterol levels; low cholesterol levels did not provide a protective effect in those smokers. These findings are supported by those of the prospective study of the American Cancer Society, of the Nurses' Health Study, and of some meta-analyses [6][7][8][9] . Coronary artery disease occurs more commonly in diabetic patients than in the general population, affecting more

Risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases and the CARMEN Initiative: a population-based study in the South of Brazil

“…The higher prevalence rates in the study in Salvador may be due to the fact that the information was not self-reported, but obtained through direct measurements. Still, as mentioned above, the prevalence rates found in the current study are close to those in the international literature 6,12,24 .…”

“…Physical inactivity was the most prevalent risk factor in the study population, similar to the findings of a study in Chile (84.6%) 25 and two studies in Porto Alegre, in the late 1990s 24 (71.3%) and late 1980s 12 (69% and 82% for men and women, respectively). In addition, women were more sedentary, in agreement with the current literature 6,12,23 .…”

Perfil lipídico de indivíduos sem cardiopatia com sobrepeso e obesidade

“…The prevalence of hyperglycemia in our population was much lower than those reported by Gus et al 32 . The fact that individuals with diagnosis of diabetes mellitus were excluded from the present study would be contributing for the reduction of the prevalence of hyperglycemia in our population in the study.…”

Hipertensão arterial no Brasil: estimativa de prevalência a partir de estudos de base populacional

“…Também foi descrita a alta prevalência de outros fatores de risco para doenças cardiovasculares, como sedentarismo (71,3%; IC95%=68,6-74,0), sobrepeso e obesidade (54,7%; IC95%=51,7-57,7), tabagismo (33,0%, IC95%=31,0-36,8), níveis séricos de glicemia>126mg/dl (7%; IC=5,4-8,6%) e colesterol>240mg/dl (5,6%; IC95%=4,2-7,0). 25 Em Salvador, Bahia, no ano 2000, foi realizado estudo transversal com 1.298 adultos de idade igual ou superior a 20 anos, com o objetivo de estimar a simultaneidade de fatores de risco cardiovascular em população com e sem hipertensão arterial. Foram tomadas seis medidas de pressão arterial, em dois blocos de três medidas, em intervalo de dez minutos entre os blocos, utilizando-se aparelho eletrônico.…”