[Risk factors of ischemic heart disease and arteriosclerosis among the population of Tallinn: their relation to age, sex and ethnic origin (a population study)]

Abstract

A random sample of males aged 30-54, females aged 30-54, and schoolchildren aged 10-14 years who live in Tallinn underwent a cross-sectional epidemiological study. A total of 4149 individuals were examined. The adults and children showed different atherogenic changes in lipid parameters, the former displayed high blood pressures, whereas the Estonian children had higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and diastolic blood pressure. The Estonian males had more pronounced atherogenic shifts of lipid parameters, low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol, while the Russians smoked more cigarettes. The Russian females had higher blood pressures and body weight index than the Estonian ones. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that body weight was the most common correlate of blood pressure and lipid levels both for children and adults.