Cardiovascular Health Status and Metabolic Syndrome in Adults Living in a Transition European Country: Findings from a Population-Based Study

Abstract

Background and purpose: There are only a few published studies on the relationship between cardiovascular health (CVH) status as proposed by the American Heart Association and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in persons with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of CVH and MetS and their correlation in the adult population of the Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to evaluate which set of cardiovascular risk factors (low or medium CVH status and MetS), or the combination of both, is a better predictor for the occurrence of CVD.

Methods: We included 3601 adults (aged ≥25 years) from the Republic of Srpska National Health Survey 2010. CVH status was evaluated according to the American Heart Association criteria, whereas MetS was defined using the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III.

Results: The prevalence of low or medium CVH status and MetS is significantly higher in participants who had experienced CVD than in those free of CVD. Our study showed that predictors for CVD occurrence were presence of MetS (odds ratio 3.61, 95% confidence intervals 2.14-6.07) and presence of both sets of cardiovascular risk factors in the same person (odds ratio 4.23, 95% confidence intervals 1.50-11.93).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that presence of both sets of cardiovascular risk factors (low or medium CVH status and MetS) is the strongest predictor of CVD. Identification of individuals with cardiovascular risk factors may provide opportunities to intervene earlier and can help reduce the risk of developing CVD.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; cardiovascular disease risk factors; cardiovascular health status; epidemiology; metabolic syndrome.