Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in a Brazilian population-based cohort study

• Published in: International journal of cardiology Vol. 90; no. 2; pp. 205 - 211
• Main Authors: Moraes, Renan Stoll, Fuchs, Flávio Danni, Beltrami Moreira, Leila, Wiehe, Mário, Martins Pereira, Gerson, Costa Fuchs, Sandra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.08.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Alcohol consumption; Biological and medical sciences; Blood pressure; Brazil - epidemiology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cohort Studies; Coronary heart disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Heart; Humans; Hypertension - complications; Incidence; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Obesity - complications; Proportional Hazards Models; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Smoking - adverse effects; South America; Brazil; America; Alcohol consumption; Cardiovascular disease; Blood pressure; Risk factors; Human; Toxicology; Alcoholism; Cohort study; Risk factor; Arterial pressure; Coronary heart disease
• ISSN: 0167-5273; 1874-1754
• DOI: 10.1016/S0167-5273(02)00556-9

Objective: Our aim was to investigate risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a population-based Brazilian cohort. Design and methods: A cohort study was conducted with 1091 individuals identified through multi-stage probability sampling in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Risk factors were investigated among demographic and anthropometric characteristics, including education, smoking habits, income, alcoholic beverage consumption, and blood pressure. A fatal or non-fatal episode of myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure, and cases of sudden death comprised the composite endpoint. Results: Vital status was determined in 982 (90.0%) of the participants of the original cohort after 6.0±1.7 years of follow-up. A total of 52 individuals presented a cardiovascular event. Male gender (hazard ratio (HR) 2.01, 95% CI 1.03–3.91), systolic blood pressure (mmHg) (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.04) and alcohol consumption (g/day) (HR 1.001, 95% CI 1.00–1.003) were associated with the incidence of CVD after controlling for confounding. Body mass index (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.99–1.11) and current or previous smoking (HR 1.65, 95% CI 0.83–3.26) showed a trend for a positive association. Conclusions: We confirmed that male gender, systolic blood pressure, obesity and smoking are risk factors for cardiovascular disease in a Brazilian population. The positive association between alcohol consumption and incident CVD was unexpected and deserves replication.