In 1985 and 1988 as part of the WHO's MONICA project two surveys of cardiovascular risk factors were conducted in the population aged 25 to 64 years and resident in the six districts of the Czech Republic collaborating in MONICA. Over a period of three years, the prevalence of smoking decreased from 46% to 41.8% (p less than 0.05) in men. Daily cigarette consumption declined from 17.9 to 15.1 (p less than 0.001) in men and from 11.1 to 10.1 (p less than 0.05) in women. Despite the unchanged prevalence of hypertension during the three years' period the proportion of population with elevated BP levels declined from 22.25% to 19.1% in men (p less than 0.05), and from 16.8% to 14.0% (p less than 0.05) in women as a result of better hypertension control. The prevalence of obesity in men rose from 18.5% to 23.9% (p less than 0.001). The proportion of individuals with a total cholesterol level over 5.2 mmol/l rose from 78.0% to 83.1% (p less than 0.001) in men and from 75.9% to 80.6% in women (p less than 0.01). The changes were favourable only in those risk factors that were actively influenced by the preventive programmes "A Chance for Three Million" in smoking habits, and the "National Programme of Hypertension Control". The authors believe that consistent nationwide preventive programmes might exert a beneficial effect on the profile of risk factors of the whole Czech population.

• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• hypercholesterolemie epidemiologie   MeSH
• hypertenze epidemiologie   MeSH
• koronární nemoc epidemiologie   MeSH
• kouření epidemiologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• obezita epidemiologie   MeSH
• prevalence MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Československo epidemiologie   MeSH

BACKGROUND: The cardiovascular risk profile of the population in the Czech Republic is unfavourable, the mortality of the population from cardiovascular diseases is among the highest in the world. The objective of the present work was to compare the prevalence of the most serious risk factors in 1988 and 1992 and to find out whether the change of the political and economic system in 1989 had an impact on the risk profile of the population. Within the framework of the international WHO project MONICA independent 1% random population samples, age bracket 25-64 years, were examined in six districts of the Czech Republic. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 1988 1,357 men (response rate 85.5%) and 1,412 women (88.4%) were examined; in 1992 1,139 men (71.2%) and 1,214 women (75.0%) attended the examination. The prevalence of smokers (regular consumption of more than 1 cigarette per day) did not differ significantly in men: 41.8% in 1988, 40.3% in 1992 nor in women: 25.3%-24.1%. Also the prevalence of elevated blood pressure levels (BPs > 21.3 and/or BPd > 12.7 kPa) did not reveal a significant difference neither in men: 19.1%-20.4% nor in women 14.0%-15.0%. The prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia (total cholesterol > 6.5 mmol/l) was in 1992 significantly lower than in 1988--in men by 9% (39.6%-30.6%, p < 0.001) and in women by 6.3% (36.3%-30.0%, p < 0.001). Also in the prevalence of obesity (BMI men > 30, women > 29) a significant drop was recorded in men by 5.2% (23.8%-18.6%, p < 0.01) in women by 5.1% (33.3%-28.2%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The probable reason for this partial improvement of the risk profile in 1992, as compared with data in 1988, are dietary changes which may be the result of the introduced market economy and global transformation of society after the political change in 1989.

• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• hypercholesterolemie komplikace   epidemiologie   MeSH
• hypertenze komplikace   epidemiologie   MeSH
• kardiovaskulární nemoci epidemiologie   etiologie   MeSH
• kouření epidemiologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• obezita komplikace   epidemiologie   MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• anglický abstrakt MeSH
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH

Arterial hypertension is a risk factor of left ventricular hypertrophy, ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Late ventricular potentials are the electric manifestation of an arrhythmogenic substrate. They identify patients threatened with ventricular tachycardia and sudden cardiac death. The objective of the work was to assess the prevalence of late ventricular potentials in patients with essential arterial hypertension and to assess the relationship of their occurrence with the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy and complex ventricular arrhythmias. Late ventricular potentials were detected in 8% patients with arterial hypertension, 68% had left ventricular hypertrophy; complex ventricular arrhythmias were found in 18% patients during Holter monitoring and in 14% patients during bicycle ergometry. Comparison of patients with positive and negative late ventricular potentials did not reveal differences in the incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy and complex ventricular arrhythmias. The only significant difference were more frequent ventricular ectopic contractions in patients with late ventricular potentials. Investigation of late ventricular potentials obviously will not be part of the standard examination in patients with arterial hypertension without syncope or malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmia.

• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• elektrokardiografie * MeSH
• hypertenze komplikace   patofyziologie   MeSH
• hypertrofie levé komory srdeční etiologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• srdce - funkce komor MeSH
• srdeční arytmie diagnóza   etiologie   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• anglický abstrakt MeSH
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to evaluate the 8-year trend of serum cholesterol levels in six districts of the Czech Republic, to assess whether the reduction of mean values of total cholesterol recorded during the period between 1985 and 1992 was convincing and to discuss possible causes and consequences of this development. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three cross-sectional surveys of risk factors were implemented in independent random 1% samples of the population aged 25-64 years. In 1985 1256 men (respondence rate 81.5%) and 1317 women (85%) were examined, In 1988 1357 men (85.2%) and 1412 women (88.4%), in 1992 1142 men (73.2%) and 1211 women (76.7%). A detailed check of the deviations in estimations during different time intervals from reference values provided evidence that the analytical method did not have an impact on the revealed changes. In men the mean total cholesterol level was 6.21 (95% confidence limit 6.14-6.28 mmol/l in 1985; 6.29 (6.23-6.35) mmol/l in 1988; 5.99 (5.91-6.06) mmol/l in 1992. In women the mean value of the total cholesterol level was 6.19 (6.12-6.25) mmol/l in 1985; 6.23 (6.17-6.30) mmol/l in 1988; 5.95 (5.88-6.02) mmol/l in 1992. According to variance analysis (ANOVA) the serum cholesterol in 1992 was lower by 0.22 mmol/l (p < 0.0001) than in 1985 and by 0.28 mmol/l (p < 0.0001) lower than in 1988. The drop of cholesterol between 1988-1992 may have been caused by dietary changes recorded in the population. According to nationwide data after 1990 there was a marked drop of the consumption of meat and meat products, milk and dairy products and animal fats, while the consumption of vegetable fats increased. Despite these dietary improvements, in six districts in 1992 fats accounted for 37% of the energy intake, the P/S ratio was only 0.41 in men and 0.46 in women. In these districts in 1992 and 1993 a decline of the standardized mortality rate from IHD in men was recorded. CONCLUSIONS: During an eight-year period the mean serum cholesterol level of men and women decreased significantly in six districts of the Czech Republic. This change was probably associated with a restricted intake of foods which have an impact on the serum cholesterol level.

• MeSH
• cholesterol krev   MeSH
• dieta MeSH
• dietní tuky aplikace a dávkování   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• hypercholesterolemie epidemiologie   MeSH
• koronární nemoc mortalita   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• průřezové studie MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• anglický abstrakt MeSH
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• cholesterol MeSH
• dietní tuky MeSH

The authors studied the possible association between plasma antioxidants and the high rates of cardiovascular diseases in the Czech Republic. The report has three parts. First, plasma antioxidants levels were compared in a random sample of population of two Czech districts (70 men and 66 women) and in British civil servants (246 men and I 12 women). Second, plasma antioxidants were compared in random samples of men aged 45-64 in Pardubice (Czech Republic, n = 185) and Augsburg (Bavaria, n = 142). Both Breat Britain and Bavaria have substantially lower mortality from cardiovascular disease than the Czech Republic. Third, a case control study examined the relation between low levels of plasma antioxidants and the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction (52 cases and 144 controls, all males). Blood samples were taken, stored and analysed under strictly standardised conditions. Geometric means of beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol and the alpha-tocopherol/total cholesterol ratio were substantially lower in Czechs than in Brits (all p-values less than 0.001). For example, the mean concentration of beta carotene in plasma of Czech men was only a half of that in British men (0.39 vs. 0.77 mumol/l). Similarly, mean alpha- and beta-carotene and lycopene among Czech men were substantially lower than in Bavarian men. Mean homocysteine was higher in Czechs (10.5 mumol/l) and in Bavarians (8.9 mumol/l, p < 0.001). Means of vitamin E were similar. In the case-control study, the risk of myocardial infarction was elevated among men with below median plasma levels of beta carotene (age adjusted odds ratio 3.33, 95% confidence interval 1.43-8.33) and alfa-tocopherol (odds ratio 1.89, 95% confidence interval 0.94-3.85). The low levels of carotenoids and high levels of homocysteine in plasma of Czechs may reflect low dietary intakes of fresh fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants or factors related to their dietary intakes may be one of the causes of the high cardiovascular mortality in the Czech Republic.

• MeSH
• antioxidancia analýza   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• homocystein krev   MeSH
• kardiovaskulární nemoci krev   epidemiologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH
• Rakousko epidemiologie   MeSH
• Spojené království epidemiologie   MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antioxidancia MeSH
• homocystein MeSH