Risk factors distribution and cardiovascular disease prevalence in the Italian population: The CHECK study

Elena Tragni, Alessandro Filippi, Manuela Casula, Giampiero Favato, Ovidio Brignoli, Claudio Cricelli, Andrea Poli, Alberico L. Catapano

Epidemiology and Preventive Pharmacology Centre (SEFAP), University of Milano, Milano, Italy.
IRCCS Multimedica, Sesto S. Giovanni, Milano, Italy.
Italian Society of General Medicine (SIMG), Firenze, Italy.
Kingston University, Kingston upon Thames, UK.

DOI: 10.4236/ojepi.2012.24014                

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the distribution of cardiovascular risk factors and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in a sample of the Italian population. Methods: CHECK (Cholesterol and Health: Education, Control and Knowledge) is a cross-sectional observational study in a randomised sample of the Italian adult population aged 40 - 79 years, in the setting of general practice. Results: 5846 subjects (50.3% male) were included in the analysis. The mean age [±SD] of the observed cohort was 57.8 (±10.3) years. One out of five subjects smoked cigarettes and almost 80% didn’t engage in regular leisure-time physical activity. The mean blood pressure was 132.0 [±14.7]/81.2 [±7.9] mmHg. The total and LDL-cholesterol levels were respectively 205.3 [±35.9] mg/dL and 124.9 [±29.9] mg/dL. The mean glucose concentration was 98.3 [±28.2] mg/dL. The prevalence rate of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes were respectively 51.8%, 55.6%, and 13.0%. 8.9% of the observed subjects had a history of cardiovascular events, while in the primary prevention group the 10-year-risk of coronary heart disease (Framingham algorithm) was 10.1% [±8.3%] and of cardiovascular disease (CUORE algorithm) was 5.2% [±5.9%]. Conclusion: The CHECK study provides a detailed description of a randomised sample of the Italian population, contributing to evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and the main cardiovascular disease in Italy and to provide a baseline to set priorities and objectives for future intervention of health policy.

Keywords

Italian Population; Epidemiological Study; Cardiovascular Risk Factors; Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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