Impact of abdominal obesity on the frequency of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in Poland – Results from the IDEA study (International Day for the Evaluation of Abdominal Obesity)

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of mortality, and has risk factors, which can be treated by lifestyle changes or medications. Abdominal obesity has been identified as the second strongest risk factor for myocardial infarction. OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency of abdominal obesity and its relationship with hypertension (HT) and CVD in patients in Poland, and to compare frequencies of adiposity, HT and CVD between Poland and the North-West Europe Region, obtained in the IDEA study. METHODS: In Poland, general practitioners included 5371 patients, aged 18-80 years, eligible for analysis. Waist circumference (WC) was measured, and the presence of HT and CVD recorded. RESULTS: Increasing WC was significantly associated with HT and CVD, after adjustment for age (p<0.001). The frequency of abdominal obesity (WC >102/88 cm) was higher in Poland than in North-West Europe (36% vs 33% in men and 54% vs 45% in women, respectively, p<0.0001). Similarly, the frequency of HT in Poland was higher than in North-West Europe (47 vs 36% in men and 45 vs 30% in women, respectively p<0.001). In Poland CVD was 1.7-fold more frequent in men and 2.5-fold more frequent in women, compared with North-West Europe. CONCLUSION: In Polish adiposity, both WC and body mass index (BMI) were strongly related to HT and CVD. The frequency of abdominal obesity, obesity, HT and CVD in primary care patients is substantially higher in Poland than in North-West Europe.