OBJECTIVE: To evaluate risk factors and the general risk profile in a longitudinally followed-up cohort of the Plzen population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The investigation was made in a cohort of 332 men and 280 women selected from the epidemiological study PILS II (Plzen longitudinal study) examined in 1987-1989 and 1995-1995. Both investigations adhered to the standard protocol. Anamnestic data were assessed, anthropometric parameters (BMI). Blood pressure (BP) was assessed by means of a mercury sphygmomanometer using the standard procedure, biochemical parameters were examined from a blood sample on fasting in the routine laboratories of the Faculty Hospital Plzen. Changes of individual factors were evaluated by the paired Wilcoxon test and chi 2 group test resp. The global coronary risk was calculated by means of logistic coefficients from the Framingham study.

RESULTS: In the cohort which aged on average by 7.6 years the number of smokers decreased in men by 8.1% and by 3.6% in women. The blood pressure increased significantly in both sexes, there was an increase in the number of hypertensive subjects by 26.8% in men and 21.7% in women. In men there was a significant decrease of non-HDL cholesterol, in women, there was a significant increase of subjects with diabetic dyslipidaemia. The total coronary risk (Framingham score) increased after standard transposition to the age of 60 years only by 0.5% in men and women, which reflects the risk due to increased BP. The standard of treatment of hypertension was quite unsatisfactory. When using criteria SBP > or = 140 and/or DBP > or = 90 mm Hg during the second examination 71% of the patients remained without treatment. The number of subjects not aware of hypertension declined from 54% to 19.3% of subjects. A favourable indicator was the finding that there was a decline of hypertensive subjects with a high coronary risk (> or = 20% from ca 11 to 6%).

CONCLUSION: During the investigation period in the cohort which to a certain extent represents the Plzen population a certain improvement of the risk profile occurred in particular as regards smoking and disorders of the lipid spectrum, however not as regards the prevalence and treatment of hypertension. Despite the favourable development in the Czech population in the investigated cohort, obviously at the expense of poor control of hypertension, the average coronary risk did not improve.

Keywords: Adult; Aged; Blood Pressure; Cohort Studies; Coronary Disease /etiology/; Czech Republic /epidemiology/; Female; Humans; Hypertension /drug therapy/; Infant; Lipids /blood/; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Smoking