Twenty-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality trends and changes in cardiovascular risk factors in Gubbio, Italy: the role of blood pressure changes.
OBJECTIVE
In an observational population study that lasted 20 years, the relationships between mortality trends and changes in cardiovascular risk factor levels were examined.


RESULTS
In the town of Gubbio, in central Italy, population surveys for measurement of cardiovascular risk factors were performed 20 years apart. In a subset of the initial cohort (1927 men and 2333 women), mortality data were collected for 20 years. Cardiovascular risk factor levels were compared in individuals in the same age range (20-79 years) examined at the initial survey (1927 men and 2333 women) and at the final survey (1761 men and 2055 women). Age-adjusted rates significantly declined, by 28% among men and 51% among women, for all causes of death, and by 50% among men and 71% among women for cardiovascular disease deaths. Declines were observed in the levels of systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, resting heart rate, smoking habits, BMI, plasma glucose (the latter two only in women) and the estimated cardiovascular risk, together with increases in serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and in the proportion of treated and controlled hypertensive patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Although similar but less impressive changes were recorded in Italy at large, the existence of the observational study in Gubbio might have motivated the general population and the medical profession towards actions promoting general health.
Menotti
Alessandro
A
Association for Cardiac Research, Rome, Italy. menotti@tin.it
Lanti
Mariapaola
M
Angeletti
Mario
M
Botta
Gianfranco
G
Cirillo
Massimo
M
Laurenzi
Martino
M
Mancini
Mario
M
Panarelli
Walter
W
Scavizzi
Patrizia
P
Terradura-Vagnarelli
Oscar
O
Zanchetti
Alberto
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult