[Cardiovascular risk factors in headquarters staff of the World Health Organization]

Analysis of 2333 medical files of the World Health Organization's headquarters staff in Geneva gives insight into the epidemiology of cardiovascular risk factors in nationals originating from 67 different countries but living in the same environment. The study confirms well established facts such as the prevalence of hypertension (HT) with respect to sex, age, and period of observation, its consequences and interrelation with high cholesterol levels, diabetes, and obesity. The importance of a medical service with emphasis on prevention is stressed. Major differences in relation to geographic origin are noted for men. The highest percentage of HT (32%) is noted for staff members from Germanic countries. There is a concentric decrease according to nationality: 29 to 25% for the other countries of Central, Western, and Southern Europe, 23 to 18% for the USSR, Arab countries and North America, 9 to 6% for South East and Eastern Asia and African countries south of the Sahara (p less than 0.05 between the extremes). India and Australia do not fit the pattern of concentric decrease, since a high percentage of men in those countries have HT. As the number of files available was insufficient to carry out the same analysis for women or to determine other factors of cardiovascular risk, the study will be extended to cover the staff of other International Organizations in Geneva.