Key result
Rural Cretan cohort experiences ~7 CHD events per 1000 person-years despite highly unfavorable CV risk.
Why the study?
The natural course and trends of coronary heart disease risk factors over time in a rural Cretan population with an unfavorable risk profile were not well described.
Cohort (n=200)
No
Despite a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, the occurrence rate of CHD events in this rural Cretan population was 7.1 per 1000 person-years.
Persistent high CHD risk factor burden in rural Crete warrants continued surveillance; leaves open the risk score–event relationship in this population.
BACKGROUND: Crete has been of great epidemiological interest ever since the publication of the Seven Countries Study. In 1988 a well-defined area of rural Crete was studied, with only scarce signs of coronary heart disease (CHD) despite the unfavorable risk profile. The same population was re-examined twelve years later aiming to describe the trends of CHD risk factors over time and discuss some key points on the natural course of coronary heart disease in a rural population of Crete. METHODS AND RESULTS: We re-examined 200 subjects (80.7% of those still living in the area, 62.4 +/- 17.0 years old). The prevalence of risk factors for CHD was high with 65.9% of men and 65.1% of women being hypertensive, 14.3% of men and 16.5% of women being diabetic, 44% of men being active smokers and more than 40% of both sexes having hyperlipidaemia. Accordingly, 77.5% of the population had a calculated Framingham Risk Score (FRS) > or = 15%, significantly higher compared to baseline (p < 0.001). The overall occurrence rate for CHD events was calculated at 7.1 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval: 6.8-7.3). CONCLUSION: The study confirms the unfavorable risk factor profile of a well defined rural population in Crete. Its actual effect on the observed incidence of coronary events in Cretans remains yet to be defined.
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Karalis et al. (2007) conducted a cohort in Ischaemic heart disease (n=200). Cardiovascular risk factors was evaluated on Overall occurrence rate for CHD events (per 1000 person-years) (95% CI 6.8-7.3). In a rural Cretan population followed for 12 years, the overall occurrence rate for coronary heart disease events was 7.1 per 1000 person-years despite a highly unfavorable cardiovascular risk profile.
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