title: Cardiovascular risk factors in a small urban community in central Croatia.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine in Karlovac (southern part of central Croatia) the most important risk factors for coronary heart diseases in men and women according to age < or = 59 and > or = 60 on the basis of their prevalence in 558 non-coronary patients and 442 symptomatic coronary patients. In younger male coronary patients (< or = 59 years of age) in relation to the control study, the statistically significant more frequent risk factors were hypercholesterolemia (p < 0.001), smoking (p < 0.01) and diabetes (p < 0.01). In older male patients (> or = 60 years of age) there was no statistically significant difference in a single risk factor. In younger female coronary patients, the statistically significant more frequent risk factors were hypercholesterolemia (p < 0.001) and diabetes (p < 0.001) and in older female patients diabetes (p < 0.05). This population sample showed higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in younger coronary patients. The most frequent risk factors were diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and smoking. The difference is slighter in older coronary patients where it is diabetes, which is the most important for women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Diseases, General Hospital Karlovac, Karlovac, Croatia.
authors.forename: Davor
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Horvat
mesh_terms: D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D017523:Croatia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014504:Urban Health