title: [Prevalence of vascular risk factors among Spanish populations aged 70 years and over, as reported in door-to-door studies on neurological diseases].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to re-analyze door-to-door studies on neurological diseases among the elderly, in which vascular risk factors (VRF) were studied, describing methodological characteristics and prevalence of VRF.
  
  
  METHODS
  The surveys were identified in two phases. They were aimed at ascertaining prevalence of stroke, dementias or Parkinsonisms and, at the time of individual screening, had collected data on at least three of the following VRF: arterial hypertension (AHT), smoking habit, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia. A questionnaire was drawn up to collect the data reported in each study, and a database was constructed. VRF prevalences were quantified and analyzed using logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total of the re-analyzed population was 12,510 persons aged 70 years and over, residents in seven geographic areas during the period 1994-2002. Information available on VRF was essentially self-reported. The prevalence of self-reported AHT was 25.7 % in men and 44.2 % in women, and that of measured AHT was 61 % and 71.9 %, respectively. Populations with arterial pressure obtained by direct measurement registered 138 higher risks (OR: 1.74; 95 % CI: 1.51-2.01, and OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.33-1.64). Reported prevalence of diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and smoking habit were 14.3 %, 23.3% and 8.5 %, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a high prevalence of VRF among the Spanish elderly population. However, its relationship with dementia, Parkinsonisms and cerebrovascular disease could not be studied due to the poor quality of the VRF data. The differences between measured and self-reported arterial pressure suggest the existence of undetected AHT and wide scope for prevention.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Madrid, Spain. jlbarrio@isciii.es
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: del Barrio
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Medrano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arce
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergareche
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bermejo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gascón
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garré
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lobo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Otero
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reñé
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vilalta-Franch
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Zunzunegui
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Pedro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology