title: Age- and gender-specific awareness, treatment, and control of cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical vascular lesions in a founder population: the SardiNIA Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the gender-specific control of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and subclinical vascular lesions in a founder population in Italy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  6148 subjects were enrolled (aged 14-102 years) from four towns. Hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM) and dyslipidemia (LIP) were defined in accordance with guidelines. A self-reported diagnosis defined awareness of these conditions, and the current use of specific medications as treatment. Prevalence was HT 29.2%, DM 4.8%, LIP 44.1% and was higher in men than in women. Disease prevalence increased with age for every CV risk factor. Men were less likely than women to take anti-HT drugs and to reach BP control (9.9% vs. 16%). Only 17.6% of HT > 65 years had a BP < or =140/90 mmHg, though 48.5% were treated. The use of statins was very low (<1/3 of eligible subjects > 65 years, those with the highest treatment rate). The ratio of control-to-treated HT was lower in subjects with, than in those without, thicker carotid arteries (31.5% vs. 38.8%, p < 0.05) or stiffer aortas (26.0% vs. 40.0%, p < 0.05) or carotid plaques (26.3% vs. 41.1%, p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A large number of subjects at high CV risk are not treated and the management of subclinical vascular lesions is far from optimal.
authors.affiliation: UO Geriatria, INRCA, IRCCS, Via Cassia 1167, 00189 Rome, Italy. angeloelefante@interfree.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scuteri
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Najjar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orru'
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Albai
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strait
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Tarasov
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Piras
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schlessinger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uda
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Lakatta