Early age-related maculopathy and risk factors of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged Lithuanian urban population.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of age-related maculopathy (ARM) in a middle-aged urban population and the relationship between ARM and the main risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: The survey according to the WHO MONICA study protocol was carried out in Kaunas city, Lithuania, from 2001 to 2002. A total of 1403 persons aged 35 to 64 years were screened (626 men and 777 women: response rate 62.4%). Ophthalmologic investigation was performed for 1337 respondents (594 men and 743 women). Analysis of the relationship between ARM and risk factors of CVD was performed in case-control subdivision matching for sex, age, and education level. RESULTS: Early ARM was diagnosed in 7.4% of men and 5.4% of women. Rate of current smoking in case and control groups did not differ in men but in case group of women it was greater than in control group. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) in male case group and mean fasting blood glucose concentration in female case group were higher than in corresponding control groups. Frequency of diastolic hypertension (diastolic blood pressure > or = 90 mmHg) and obesity (BMI > or = 30 kg/m2) in male case group was higher than in control group. ARM was not associated with cholesterol and triglyceride levels in men and women. CONCLUSIONS: Early ARM in middle-aged Lithuanian urban population was associated with current smoking in women but not in men; it was associated with diastolic blood pressure and BMI in men and with fasting glucose level in women.

[Trends of main risk factors of coronary heart disease in Kaunas population during 20 years (the data of the MONICA study)]. / Dinamika osnovnykh faktorov riska ishemicheskoi bolezni serdtsa sredi naseleniia Kaunasa za 20 let (po dannym programy MONIKA).

MONICA (Multinational MONItoring trends and determinants of CArdiovascular diseases) study was carried out in Kaunas in 1983-2002 in four random samples of population aged 35-64 years (overall 3292 men and 3548 women - response rate 65.1%). Over the 20-year period, mean levels of systolic blood pressure (BP) (in men and women), diastolic BP (in women), body mass index (in men and women) decreased while mean levels of total serum cholesterol increased (in men and women). In the final survey as compared with initial survey arterial hypertension (AH) (BP > 140/90 mm Hg) became less prevalent in women (39.4% and 51.3%, p<0.001) and mild hypertension - less prevalent in men (25.9% and 33%, p<0,001). Over the study period, prevalence of mild hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol 5.0-6.49 mmol/l) decreased and prevalence of severe hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol =7.8 mmol/l) increased both in men and women. The prevalence of excessive weight increased in men and the prevalence of obesity increased in women. No statistically significant changes were detected in the prevalence of smoking in men during the study period while in women the prevalence of regular smoking increased (from 4.1% to 11.3%, p 0,001). The observed levels and trends of main risk factors of coronary heart disease require intensification of implementation of primary prevention measures in the studied population.

Laboratory standardizatin in an international study: the Kaunas--Rotterdam intervention study (KRIS).

Laboratory results obtained in different laboratories over lengthy periods of time usually are difficult to compare. In cooperative long-term studies where such results must be pooled, thorough standardization of methods is vital. We describe a program in which comparable plasma cholesterol and glucose analyses have been obtained, by simple methods. In the Netherlands and the Soviet Union in close collaboration with the Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga., U.S.A. The two laboratories produced glucose values (direct o-toluidine reaction) within 2% of the target reference values and cholesterol results (direct Liebermann-Burchard reaction) with a consistent 6-8% positive bias over the reference method values. Intralaboratory precision was subject to preset acceptance limits. The use of common control materials, exchange of patient samples, and on-site comparison of all details of laboratory procedures are vital tools in standardization efforts. A laboratory protocol that included quality requirements and rejection criteria was developed and proved to be indispensable. The experience gained should be useful in standardizing inter-laboratory results in similar studies.