Assessment of cardiovascular risk factors and their correlation in 28,000 Hungarians.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and inter-relations of systolic hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and hyperglycaemia in more than 28,000 Hungarians.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A retrospective study was designed to collect relevant information from the database of the Screening Institution in Miskolc, Hungary, between 1990 and 1998. Prevalence of the investigated conditions was compared between different groups.

RESULTS

The occurrence of any of the investigated cardiovascular risk factors increased the likelihood of the other risk factors, and this relationship was most apparent in more serious categories. A particularly high degree of comorbidity was found between hypertension and hyperglycaemia.

CONCLUSION

Since these results were based on a large percentage of the population, this study provides an important message for practising doctors: if they find any of these three risk factors in a patient, it is highly recommended that they should search for the others.