Cardiovascular screening at a public event: results from 'For your heart's sake'

At the public event 'For your heart's sake' ('Het leven is hart...Zorg er goed voor'), the opportunity to measure the well-known major cardiovascular risk factors was offered to visitors.

The screening took place at seven risk assessment stations. Blood pressure was taken with an Omron manometer in a sitting position, and the total plasma cholesterol was measured. Risk for future cardiovascular events was calculated with the Framingham risk formula.

A cardiovascular risk profile was obtained in 784 persons. Their mean age was 48 years. Smoking prevalence was 21%. The mean cholesterol concentration was 5.2 mmol/L. Only 3% of the subjects had cholesterol levels above 8 mmol/L. The prevalence of hypertension (systolic blood pressure of at least 140 mmHg) was 16%. Risk for a cardiac event in the next ten years >10% was found to be present in 4%, while 1% (7 men) had a calculated risk >20%.

Although the cardiovascular screening programme attracted a relatively healthy sample of the Dutch population, prevalence of high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels was high, and the risk for future atherosclerotic disease elevated in many older men and women. These results are another plea for continued efforts to reduce the burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease through primary prevention.