title: Mean levels and distribution of some risk factors for atherosclerosis in Sardinia: the ATS-Sardegna Survey.
abstract: Six population samples of randomly chosen men and women aged 20-59 years in the four provinces of the island of Sardinia, for a total of 5,697 individuals (overall participation 55%), were examined to determine the mean levels and distribution of some risk factors for atherosclerosis. A remarkable uniformity of such levels, with some minor exceptions, was found throughout the island. The overall, age-standardized mean levels for the factors considered are as follows (men and women, respectively): total cholesterol (TC) (mg/dl) 204 and 196; LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) (mg/dl) 131 and 125; apolipoprotein B (ApoB) (mg/dl) (five out of six areas) 112 and 104; HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) (mg/dl) 48 and 53; triglyceride (TG) (mg/dl) 117 and 89; systolic blood pressure (mmHg) 129 and 128; diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) 81 and 80; body mass index (BMI) [kg/(m)2] 26 and 25; prevalence of smokers (%) 48 and 15; cigarettes per day among smokers 19 and 11. A regular increase with increasing age exists for TC, LDL-C, ApoB, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and BMI. Compared to the results of a previous survey eight years earlier, an unfavorable trend is in progress, particularly for TC levels in both sexes and smoking among women.
authors.affiliation: Centro Regionale per le Malattie Dismetaboliche e l'Arteriosclerosi, Ospedale G. Brotzu (S. Michele), Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muntoni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pintus
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mascia
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pintus
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Cabiddu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tronci
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ganga
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Contini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Congiu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trudu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D011897:Random Allocation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids