[Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the Basel city population 1989-1990]

In the Swiss canton of Basel-Stadt, the levels of the major cardiovascular risk factors were measured in 1989/90 in a representative sample of 533 inhabitants (252 men and 281 women) aged 25 to 74. Some sex and age specific results concerning blood pressure, height, weight, body-mass index (BMI), cholesterol and smoking status are presented in the article. For the participants aged 35 to 64, the age-standardized (reference population: Switzerland 1989) prevalence rates are always higher for males than for females. High blood pressure (systolic over 160 mm Hg or diastolic over 95 mm Hg) is observed in 17% of the men and 12% of the women, whereas an elevated cholesterol level (over 6.5 mmol/l) concerns respectively 39% and 28% of them. Regular cigarette smokers represent 30% of the males and 27% of the females. Overweight is found in 27% of the men (BMI > or = 27.8 kg/m2) and in 18% of the women (BMI > or = 27.3 kg/m2). These results can be compared to those of the second population survey of the MONICA study carried out in 1988/89 in two other Swiss regions, keeping in mind that there are some methodological differences between the two studies. Overall, high blood pressure appears to be more frequent and hypercholesterolemia less common in Basel.