title: [Cardiovascular disease epidemiology and risk factors in primary care].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the prevalence of and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was carried out at an urban health center in Barcelona, Spain. In total, 2248 patients > or =15 years old were selected randomly from medical records. The study investigated cardiovascular diseases such as ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease, and cardiovascular risk factors such as age, sex, smoking, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients' mean age was 49.1 (18.9) years and 53.5% were male. Cardiovascular risk factor prevalences were: smoking, 35.2%; high blood pressure, 33.7%; hypercholesterolemia, 21.9%; hypertriglyceridemia,12.7%; and diabetes mellitus, 15.8%. Overall, 57.9% of patients had at least 1 cardiovascular risk factor. Significantly more males presented with each risk factor (P<.05), apart from high blood pressure. The prevalence of all risk factors, except smoking, increased with age until 74 years and then stabilized, except high blood pressure, which continued to increase. Around 10% had cardiovascular disease, with myocardial ischemia in 5.5%, cerebrovascular disease in 3.7%, and peripheral arterial disease in 2.4%. All except cerebrovascular disease were significantly more common in males (P<.05). The prevalence of cardiovascular disease was low in individuals <55 years old, particularly women, and increased with age for all forms of disease. Some 68.3% were > or =65 years old.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was confirmed. Cardiovascular disease was more common in males and the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación SAP Sants-Montjuïc-Sarrià-Les Corts-Sant Gervasi, Barcelona, Spain. jbaenad@meditex.es
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Baena Díez
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: del Val García
authors.forename: Josefina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tomàs Pelegrina
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Martínez Martínez
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martín Peñacoba
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: González Tejón
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Raidó Quintana
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pomares Sajkiewicz
authors.forename: Andreu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Altés Boronat
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Alvarez Pérez
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piñol Forcadell
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rovira España
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oller Colom
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution