[Elderly population and campaigns for the prevention of hypercholesterolemia in Salamanca]

To analyze the cardiovascular risk profile of the persons older than 65 years of age who participated in different "Days on Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis" organized during 1999 in different towns of the province of Salamanca.

The volunteers of any age were subjected to a questionnaire and to several clinical and laboratory measurements.

The age of 267 volunteers (40.8% males) attending the campaign was > or = 65 years. The mean values of the studied parameters were: age = 72.3 +/- 6.5 years; body mass index (BMI) = 26.8 +/- 4.5 kg/m2; systolic blood pressure (SBP) = 139.8 +/- 20.6 mmHg; dystolic blood pressure (DBP) = 80.0 +/- 10.1 mmHg; and total cholesterol (TC) = 226.2 +/- 44.9 mg/dl. The percentage of smoking habit was 5.2%. The figures of SBP showed positive significant correlation with those of age (p < 0.05) and DBP (p < 0.01). Among males, the age evolved inversely to the numbers of TC (p < 0.01). Globally, 203 volunteers (76.0%) had concentrations of TC > or = 200 mg/dl; 78 (29.2%) > or = 250 mg/dl; and 12 (4.5%) concentrations > or = 300 mg/dl. We detected blood pressure levels of SBP > or = 140 mmHg in 143 (53.6%) individuals; SBP > or = 180 mmHg in 11 (4.1%); DBP > or = 90 mmHg in 72 (27.0%); and DBP > or = 110 mmHg in 4 (1.5%). The BMI was > or = 30 kg/m2 in 54 (20.2%) people of the study. 90.8% of the volunteers with previous cardiovascular disease carried, at least, another not controlled cardiovascular risk factor; 24.1% had at least two risk factors; and 9.1% had, at least, three. In 38.5% they showed high levels of TC and DBP, simultaneously.

Our data, together with the current evidences about the benefit of the control of cardiovascular risk factors in the elderly, suggest the necessity to establish strategies for a better control of the cardiovascular risk in this group of age in our province.