Ten-year dynamics of risk factors and total cardiovascular risk in а cohort of male intellectual workers

Abstract

Aim. To study the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (RFs), to evaluate the dynamics of RFs and total CVD risk during 10-year ambulatory follow-up of a cohort of male intellectual workers.

Material and methods. The study included 174 males (mean age 48,9±4,9 years), initially free from diabetes mellitus (DM) or coronary heart disease (CHD). Seven main CVD RFs were studied - family CVD history, hypercholesterolemia (HCH), arterial hypertension (AH), overweight and obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption - as well as two additional RFs - elevated heart rate (HR) and electrocardiography signs of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Ten-year dynamics of most prevalent RFs and their combinations was evaluated. Ten-year dynamics of total CVD risk was assessed by European SCORE model.

Results. During 10-year follow-up, the prevalence of main CVD RFs significantly increased: for AH by 40,2 %, for overweight and obesity - by 35,6 % and 9,2 %, respectively. Prevalence of HCH reduced by 5,8 %, smoking - by 50 %, and excessive alcohol consumption - by 8,6 %. The number of people with elevated HR and ECG signs of LVH had doubled. In 13,8 %, Type 2 DM had developed. At baseUne, isolated CVD RFs were observed in 20,7 %, 10 years later - in 13,2 % only In 10 years, the number of individuals with low total risk decreased by 3 times, while the number of persons with high or very high total CVD risk increased by 2 and 7,8 times, respectively.

Conclusion. Different levels of psychological and physical stress in intellectual and manual workers are reflected by different patterns of CVD RF prevalence. High psycho-emotional stress levels significantly increase AH prevalence. In combination with other RFs, it results in total CVD risk increase, which could not be explained by age-related changes only