Mean levels and distribution of some risk factors for atherosclerosis in Sardinia: the ATS-Sardegna Survey

Six population samples of randomly chosen men and women aged 20-59 years in the four provinces of the island of Sardinia, for a total of 5,697 individuals (overall partecipation 55%), were examined to determine the mean levels and distribution of some risk factors for atherosclerosis. A remarkable uniformity of such levels, with some minor exceptions, was found throughout the island. The overall, age-standardized mean levels for the factors considered are as follows (men and women, respectively): total cholesterol (TC) (mg/dl) 204 and 196; LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) (mg/dl) 131 and 125; apolipoprotein B (ApoB) (mg/dl) (five out of six areas) 112 and 104; HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) (mg/dl) 48 and 53; triglyceride (TG) (mg/dl) 117 and 89; systolic blood pressure (mmHg) 129 and 128; diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) 81 and 80; body mass index (BMI) [kg/(m)2] 26 and 25; prevalence of smokers (%) 48 and 15; cigarettes per day among smokers 19 and 11. A regular increase with increasing age exists for TC, LDL-C, ApoB, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and BMI. Compared to the results of a previous survey eight years earlier, an unfavorable trend is in progress, particularly for TC levels in both sexes and smoking among women.