PREVALENCE AND CHANGE OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK-FACTORS AMONG MEN BORN 1900-19 - THE FINNISH COHORTS OF THE 7 COUNTRIES STUDY

In a 30-year follow-up survey of the Finnish cohorts of the Seven Coun tries Study in 1989, 470 men aged 70-89 years were examined in two rur al areas of Finland, in the East and in the West. Life-style-related c oronary heart disease risk factors were at high levels in both groups, but the difference between areas found in the same cohort in middle a ge had mostly disappeared or partially reversed. Mean levels of systol ic/diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, b lood glucose after 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test, and plasma fibr inogen were higher in the West than in the East (p less-than-or-equal- to 0.05), but serum thiocyanate which reflects smoking habits was high er in the East (p < 0.001). No significant differences between areas w ere found in mean levels of serum total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A-I, apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein (a), plasma coagulation factor VIIc, and prevalence of cur rent smoking.