Epidemiología de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en personas mayores físicamente activas : estudio de los lípidos en prevención primaria

The study tries to determine the prevalence of mayor cardiovascular risk factors in a group of physically active people, aged 50 to 80. The study was performed in a group of 283 people who regularly practiced 90 minutes of aerobic training three days per week. Following the instructions of the American Heart Association, the following parameters were analysed: smoking, high blood pressure, low HDL-cholesterol, high LDL-cholesterol, Diabetes Mellitus, and advanced age. 89% of the men and 95% were non-smokers or ex-smokers for more than 5 years. 36% of the men and 33.6% of the women had hypertension. 34.3% of the people had total cholesterol levels below 200 mg/dl, 21.2% between 200 and 220 mg/dl, 24.7% between 221 and 250 mg/dl, and 19.8% above 250 mg/dl. The combination of high cholesterol and fibrinogen, that indicates high cardiovascular risk, was detected in only 0.7% of the sample. The correlation of the sum of cardiovascular risk factors with age analysed by the Framingham Method indicates that almost 27% of the subjects present a high risk for cardiovascular disease. The studied group, most probably because of their regular physical activity, shows a lower risk of cardiovascular disease as their less active counterparts. The correct cataloging of cardiovascular risk factors in adults aged 50 years and more is important to prevent the risk and mitigate its consequences.