Cardiovascular disease risk factors in post-menopausal women in West Anatolia: A rural region prevalence study
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2004
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Abstract
Cardiovascular risk factors are important causes of morbidity and mortality in post-menopausal women. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the cardiovascular risk factors in 207 postmenopausal Turkish women over 45 years old in a rural district of West Anatolia, Manisa Muradiye district. A questionnaire on socioeconomic and sociodemographic characteristics was conducted in the women followed by the measurement of blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol levels, and waist-hip ratio along with an electrocardiogram (ECG). The European Cardiology Society risk index was used for cardiovascular risk evaluation. The results showed that 86% percent of the women will be carrying more than a 5% probability of developing a cardiovascular risk in the next 10 years. Moreover, the results proved 7% of the women are at high risk for a cardiovascular condition. Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and impaired glucose tolerance, were observed in 62%, 35.3%, and 13.5% of the women, respectively. Seven percent had smoked for at least six months. Fourteen cases had complained of exercise angina and pathologic ECG signs were diagnosed in one-third of these 14 cases. The waist-hip ratio measured 0.8 or more in 66.2% of the cases, with a range of 68-147 cm (mean; 95.6 ± 11.55). The results indicate that the risk of a cardiovascular condition developing is extremely high in postmenopausal West Anatolian women and increases with age. Morever, the prevalance of hypertension increased with age and was very closely related with low socioeconomic levels. These hazardous cardiovascular disease risk factors should be considered as high priority health problems in rural and low socioeconomic areas of developing communities. Intervention to modify the cardiovascular risk factors should be included in routine primary health care programs. Copyright © 2004 by the Japanese Heart Journal.
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Aged , Cardiovascular Diseases , Cross-Sectional Studies , Diabetes Complications , Electrocardiography , Female , Glucose Intolerance , Humans , Hypercholesterolemia , Hypertension , Middle Aged , Postmenopause , Prevalence , Questionnaires , Risk Factors , Rural Population , Socioeconomic Factors , Turkey , cholesterol , glucose , adult , age distribution , aged , angina pectoris , anthropometry , article , blood pressure measurement , cardiovascular risk , cholesterol blood level , demography , diet restriction , ECG abnormality , electrocardiogram , female , glucose blood level , health care planning , health program , high risk population , human , hypercholesterolemia , hypertension , impaired glucose tolerance , postmenopause , prevalence , primary health care , priority journal , probability , questionnaire , risk assessment , rural area , smoking , socioeconomics , Turkey (republic) , waist circumference , cardiovascular disease , cross-sectional study , diabetes mellitus , electrocardiography , glucose intolerance , hypercholesterolemia , hypertension , middle aged , risk factor , rural population , statistics , Turkey (republic)