Introduction: The measures of primary prevention of cardiovascular disease are focused on lifestyle modifications in order to reduce the incidence of hypertension. Hypertension is a preventable risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of mortality in the elderly in Croatia.
Aim: The aim of this paper is to present the share of circulatory system diseases in total hospitalization rate of the elderly. The aim is also to propose preventive public health interventions for elderly population to modify their dietary habits considering salt intake.
Methods: Gerontology analysis of the hospitalization rate includes data on geriatric patients from the City of Zagreb and Croatia as a whole for 2007, according to disease groups and prevalence. Databases of the National Institute of Public Health and Department of Gerontology, Dr. Andrija Stampar Institute of Public Health served as the source of data.
Discussion: Salt reduction is considered as an efficient and widely applicable measure of lifestyle modification as a non-pharmacological intervention for hypertension in the elderly. The introduction of legal provisions on dietary standards for the elderly is proposed for implementation of appropriate and preventive diet for this population group.
Conclusion: Comparison of the rate of hospitalization of geriatric patients according to groups of diseases in the Zagreb area and Croatia in 2007 revealed the group of circulatory system diseases to be the leading cause of geriatric hospitalizations at the national level. Steering the health care planning and large-scale implementation of the program of preventive measures for the elderly with emphasis on salt intake reduction to up to 5 grams per day could reduce the prevalence of hypertension in elderly population and consecutively lower the incidence of their consequences.