Risk factors for coronary heart disease in different socioeconomic groups of Lithuania and Sweden - the LiVicordia study

Aims: Lithuanian middle-aged men have a fourfold higher risk for coronary h eart disease (CHD) mortality compared with Swedish men. In Sweden, CHD mort ality is twice as high in blue- compared with white-collar workers. whether the same risk factors that characterized Lithuanian men, compared with Swe dish men. could be found in low socioeconomic groups within the cities was investigated. Methods: The LiVicordia study compared both traditional and n ea possible risk factors for CHD among 150 50-year-old men in Linkoping, Sw eden and Vilnius, Lithuania. A comparison was made of the prevalence of the se risk factors in high and low socioeconomic groups within the cities and, after controlling for the city, variations across socioeconomic groups in the total sample. Results: Small differences were found in traditional risk factors between cities. However, Vilnius men were shorter, had lower serum levels of antioxidant vitamins, more psychosocial strain, and lower cortis ol response to a standardized laboratory stress test. These characteristics were also found among men in low social classes in both cities. In linear regression models, short stature, low serum beta -carotene. low social inte gration, coping and self-esteem, high vital exhaustion, high baseline and l ow cortisol response to stress were, related to low social class. Conclusio ns: The same set of risk factors, mainly relating to oxidative and psychoso cial stress, that characterized Vilnius men was also found in men in low so cial classes within the cities. The results suggest that a common set of ri sk factors may help to explain health differences both between and within c ountries.