Urinary Stent Development and Evaluation Models: In Vitro, Ex Vivo and In Vivo-A European Network of Multidisciplinary Research to Improve Urinary Stents (ENIUS) Initiative.

Background: When trying to modify urinary stents, certain pre-clinical steps have to be followed before clinical evaluation in humans. Usually, the process starts as an in silico assessment. The urinary tract is a highly complex, dynamic and variable environment, which makes a computer simulation closely reflecting physiological conditions extremely challenging. Therefore, the pre-clinical evaluation needs to go through further steps of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo assessments. Methods and materials: Within the European Network of Multidisciplinary Research to Improve Urinary Stents (ENIUS), the authors summarized and evaluated stent assessment models in silico, in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. The topic and relevant sub-topics were researched in a systematic literature search in Embase, Scope, Web of Science and PubMed. Clinicaltrials.gov was consulted for ongoing trials. Articles were selected systematically according to guidelines with non-relevant, non-complete, and non-English or Spanish language articles excluded. Results: In the first part of this paper, we critically evaluate in vitro stent assessment models used over the last five decades, outlining briefly their strengths and weaknesses. In the second part, we provide a step-by-step guide on what to consider when setting up an ex vivo model for stent evaluation on the example of a biodegradable stent. Lastly, the third part lists and discusses the pros and cons of available animal models for urinary stent evaluation, this being the final step before human trials. Conclusions: We hope that this overview can provide a practical guide and a critical discussion of the experimental pre-clinical evaluation steps needed, which will help interested readers in choosing the right methodology from the start of a stent evaluation process once an in silico assessment has been completed. Only a transparent multidisciplinary approach using the correct methodology will lead to a successful clinical implementation of any new or modified stent.

Towns with extremely low mortality due to ischemic heart disease in Spain.

BACKGROUND: The cause of coronary disease inframortality in Spain is unknown. The aim of this study is to identify Spanish towns with very low ischemic heart disease mortality, describe their health and social characteristics, and analyze the relationship with a series of contextual factors. METHODS: We obtained the number of deaths registered for each of 8,122 Spanish towns in the periods 1989-1998 and 1999-2003. Expected deaths, standardized mortality ratio (SMR), smoothed Relative Risk (RR), and Posterior Probability (PP) of RR > 1 were calculated using Bayesian hierarchical models. Inframortality was defined as any town that displayed an RR below the 10th percentile, an SMR of under 1 for both sexes, and a PP of RR > 1 less than or equal to 0.002 for male and 0.005 for female mortality, during the two periods covered. All the remaining towns, except for those with high mortality classified as "tourist towns", were selected as controls. The association among socioeconomic, health, dietary, lifestyle and vascular risk factors was analyzed using sequential mixed logistic regression models, with province as the random-effects variable. RESULTS: We identified 32 towns in which ischemic heart disease mortality was half the national rate and four times lower than the European Union rate, situated in lightly populated provinces spread across the northern half of Spain, and revealed a surprising pattern of geographic aggegation for 23 of the 32 towns. Variables related with inframortality were: a less aged population (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89-0.99); a contextual dietary pattern marked by a high fish content (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.38-3.28) and wine consumption (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.08-2.07); and a low prevalence of obesity (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.22-1.01); and, in the case of towns of over 1000 inhabitants, a higher physician-population ratio (OR 3.80, 95% CI 1.17-12.3). CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that dietary and health care factors have an influence on inframortality. The geographical aggregation suggests that other factors with a spatial pattern, e.g., genetic or environmental might also be implicated. These results will have to be confirmed by studies in situ, with objective measurements at an individual level.

Dementia-associated mortality at thirteen years in the NEDICES Cohort Study.

To evaluate the mortality, thirteen years after the baseline wave (1994), of participants suffering dementia in the Neurological Disorders in Central Spain (NEDICES) Cohort Study, we conducted a population-based cohort study in the elderly (65 years and more) with 5,278 screened participants at baseline. Mortality has been evaluated by means of the National Death Registry of Spain at 1-5-2007, 13 years after enrolment. Cox's proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the hazard of death according to dementia severity and type, adjusting for potential covariates (gender, age, level of education, and co-morbidity). Survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. Of the 5,278 participants screened at baseline, 306 had dementia. Mortality at 13 years was: 275 deaths (89.9%) in dementia subjects; and 2,426 (49.0%) in subjects without dementia. Mortality was higher and statistically significant in dementia subjects. The degree of dementia (DSM-III-R) correlated with the risk of mortality, from mild (HR = 2.23; CI: 1.77-2.82) to moderate (HR =3.10; CI: 2.47-3.89) and severe dementia (HR = 4.98; CI: 3.85-6.44). Survival was similar in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Factors associated with higher mortality in Cox proportional hazard models were older age, male gender, and comorbidity. Using Population Attributable risk (PAR%), dementia was related to 11.3% of all deaths. Dementia intensity increases the mortality risk at ten years in the NEDICES Study as in other cohort studies. Age, gender, and co-morbidity are associated with higher mortality in dementia patients. Almost one third of deaths in persons over 85 years-old could be attributable to dementia.

Memory impairment in a simple recall task increases mortality at 10 years in non-demented elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether memory impairment detected in the three-word delayed recall task of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) increases the risk of mortality. METHODS: The NEDICES (Neurological Diseases in Central Spain) cohort study, is a population census-based study, aimed at detecting age-associated neurological diseases in people aged 65 and over, living in one rural and two urban communities in central Spain. Participants with dementia or without MMSE evaluation at baseline were excluded. Mortality was evaluated 10.67 years after enrollment. Cox's proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the hazard of death according to performance in the three-word delayed recall task included in the MMSE (score 0-3), adjusting for potential covariates (sex, age, level of education, and comorbidity). Survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The final study population comprised 3778 non-demented elderly subjects. After adjusting for confounding covariates, mortality was 52% greater in persons with the lowest memory score (0) vs. persons with the highest score (3). Hazard ratios (HR) showed a tendency to an increase in mortality from the highest to the lowest memory score, which was statistically significant for the groups with none (HR=1.52; CI=1.27-1.80) or one (HR=1.24; CI=1.04-1.48) word recall. Older age, male sex, and comorbidity were also associated with mortality, but level of education was not. CONCLUSIONS: Memory impairment in the three-word delayed free recall, a very simple task used by physicians worldwide, increases the risk of mortality at 10 years in non-demented elderly.

Arsenic in public water supplies and cardiovascular mortality in Spain.

BACKGROUND: High-chronic arsenic exposure in drinking water is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. At low-chronic levels, as those present in Spain, evidence is scarce. In this ecological study, we evaluated the association of municipal drinking water arsenic concentrations during the period 1998-2002 with cardiovascular mortality in the population of Spain. METHODS: Arsenic concentrations in drinking water were available for 1721 municipalities, covering 24.8 million people. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for cardiovascular (361,750 deaths), coronary (113,000 deaths), and cerebrovascular (103,590 deaths) disease were analyzed for the period 1999-2003. Two-level hierarchical Poisson models were used to evaluate the association of municipal drinking water arsenic concentrations with mortality adjusting for social determinants, cardiovascular risk factors, diet, and water characteristics at municipal or provincial level in 651 municipalities (200,376 cardiovascular deaths) with complete covariate information. RESULTS: Mean municipal drinking water arsenic concentrations ranged from <1 to 118 microg/L. Compared to the overall Spanish population, sex- and age-adjusted mortality rates for cardiovascular (SMR 1.10), coronary (SMR 1.18), and cerebrovascular (SMR 1.04) disease were increased in municipalities with arsenic concentrations in drinking water > 10 microg/L. Compared to municipalities with arsenic concentrations < 1 microg/L, fully adjusted cardiovascular mortality rates were increased by 2.2% (-0.9% to 5.5%) and 2.6% (-2.0% to 7.5%) in municipalities with arsenic concentrations between 1-10 and >10 microg/L, respectively (P-value for trend 0.032). The corresponding figures were 5.2% (0.8% to 9.8%) and 1.5% (-4.5% to 7.9%) for coronary heart disease mortality, and 0.3% (-4.1% to 4.9%) and 1.7% (-4.9% to 8.8%) for cerebrovascular disease mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In this ecological study, elevated low-to-moderate arsenic concentrations in drinking water were associated with increased cardiovascular mortality at the municipal level. Prospective cohort studies with individual measures of arsenic exposure, standardized cardiovascular outcomes, and adequate adjustment for confounders are needed to confirm these ecological findings. Our study, however, reinforces the need to implement arsenic remediation treatments in water supply systems above the World Health Organization safety standard of 10 microg/L.

Prevalence of dementia and major dementia subtypes in Spanish populations: a reanalysis of dementia prevalence surveys, 1990-2008.

BACKGROUND: This study describes the prevalence of dementia and major dementia subtypes in Spanish elderly. METHODS: We identified screening surveys, both published and unpublished, in Spanish populations, which fulfilled specific quality criteria and targeted prevalence of dementia in populations aged 70 years and above. Surveys covering 13 geographically different populations were selected (prevalence period: 1990-2008). Authors of original surveys provided methodological details of their studies through a systematic questionnaire and also raw age-specific data. Prevalence data were compared using direct adjustment and logistic regression. RESULTS: The reanalyzed study population (aged 70 year and above) was composed of Central and North-Eastern Spanish sub-populations obtained from 9 surveys and totaled 12,232 persons and 1,194 cases of dementia (707 of Alzheimer's disease, 238 of vascular dementia). Results showed high variation in age- and sex-specific prevalence across studies. The reanalyzed prevalence of dementia was significantly higher in women; increased with age, particularly for Alzheimer's disease; and displayed a significant geographical variation among men. Prevalence was lowest in surveys reporting participation below 85%, studies referred to urban-mixed populations and populations diagnosed by psychiatrists. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Central and North-Eastern Spain is higher in females, increases with age, and displays considerable geographic variation that may be method-related. People suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Spain may approach 600,000 and 400,000 respectively. However, existing studies may not be completely appropriate to infer prevalence of dementia and its subtypes in Spain until surveys in Southern Spain are conducted.

[Coronary disease risk attributable to cardiovascular risk factors in the Spanish population]. / Riesgo coronario atribuible a los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en población española.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The proportion of the ischemic heart disease (IHD) burden attributable to cardiovascular risk factors in Spain has traditionally been extrapolated from populations in other countries. The aim of this study was to estimate the IHD risk attributable to smoking, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes and excess weight using data from studies carried out in the Spanish population. METHODS: Data on the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the general population were obtained from a meta-analysis of 48 cross-sectional studies carried out in Spain, and data on corresponding prevalences among IHD patients were derived from the PRIAMHO II and PREVESE II multicenter hospital registries. Crude and adjusted relative risks of IHD were obtained from follow-up data collected over 5 years in a primary-care cohort of 6124 adults without cardiovascular disease. The crude and adjusted population attributable fractions for various risk factors were calculated for both sexes combined and for men and women separately. RESULTS: Among men, 42.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8%-59.6%) of the adjusted incidence of IHD was attributable to overweight, 33.9% (95% CI 22.6%-41.0%) to smoking, 19.4% (95% CI 8.2%-26.5%) to hypercholesterolemia, and 15.5% (95% CI 1.6%-24.6%) to hypertension. Among women, 36.5% (95% CI -8.0%-56.3%) of IHD cases were attributable to overweight, 24.8% (95% CI 12.0%-31.9%) to diabetes, and 20.1% (95% CI 6.1%-28.6%) to hypercholesterolemia. CONCLUSIONS: The cardiovascular risk factors found to contribute most to IHD in the Spanish population were excess weight in both sexes, followed by smoking in men.

Riesgo coronario atribuible a los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en población española / Coronary disease risk attributable to cardiovascular risk factors in the spanish population

Introducción y objetivos. La carga de enfermedad coronaria atribuible a los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en España ha sido extrapolada tradicionalmente de otras poblaciones. Este estudio pretende estimar el riesgo coronario atribuible al tabaquismo, la hipercolesterolemia, la hipertensión, la diabetes y el sobrepeso, utilizando datos procedentes de poblaciones Españolas. Métodos. Las prevalencias de los factores de riesgo en la población general se obtuvieron de un metaanálisis de 48 estudios transversales realizados en España, y las prevalencias en enfermos coronarios se tomaron de los registros hospitalarios multicéntricos PRIAMHO II y PREVESE II. Los riesgos relativos brutos y ajustados de enfermedad coronaria se obtuvieron del seguimiento durante 5 años de una cohorte de atención primaria de 6.124 personas adultas libres de enfermedad cardiovascular. Las fracciones atribuibles brutas y ajustadas se calcularon para ambos sexos y para varones y mujeres por separado. Resultados. En los varones, el 42,5% (intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%, 6,8%-59,6%) de la incidencia ajustada de enfermedad coronaria se atribuyó al sobrepeso; el 33,9% (IC del 95%, 22,6%-41%), al tabaquismo, el 19,4% (IC del 95%, 8,2%-26,5%), a la hipercolesterolemia, y el 15,5% (IC del 95%, 1,6%-24,6%), a la hipertensión. En las mujeres, el 36,5% (IC del 95%, ­8%-56,3%) de los casos de cardiopatía isquémica se atribuyeron al sobrepeso, el 24,8% (IC del 95%, 12%-31,9%), a la diabetes y el 20,1% (IC del 95%, 6,1%-28,6%), a la hipercolesterolemia. Conclusiones. El sobrepeso y el tabaquismo en varones son los factores de riesgo cardiovascular a los que cabe atribuir un mayor impacto poblacional en la enfermedad coronaria (AU)

Introduction and objectives. The proportion of the ischemic heart disease (IHD) burden attributable to cardiovascular risk factors in Spain has traditionally been extrapolated from populations in other countries. The aim of this study was to estimate the IHD risk attributable to smoking, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes and excess weight using data from studies carried out in the Spanish population. Methods. Data on the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the general population were obtained from a meta-analysis of 48 cross-sectional studies carried out in Spain, and data on corresponding prevalences among IHD patients were derived from the PRIAMHO II and PREVESE II multicenter hospital registries. Crude and adjusted relative risks of IHD were obtained from follow-up data collected over 5 years in a primary-care cohort of 6124 adults without cardiovascular disease. The crude and adjusted population attributable fractions for various risk factors were calculated for both sexes combined and for men and women separately. Results. Among men, 42.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8%­59.6%) of the adjusted incidence of IHD was attributable to overweight, 33.9% (95% CI 22.6%­41.0%) to smoking, 19.4% (95% CI 8.2%­26.5%) to hypercholesterolemia, and 15.5% (95% CI 1.6%­24.6%) to hypertension. Among women, 36.5% (95% CI ­8.0%­56.3%) of IHD cases were attributable to overweight, 24.8% (95% CI 12.0%­31.9%) to diabetes, and 20.1% (95% CI 6.1%­28.6%) to hypercholesterolemia. Conclusions. The cardiovascular risk factors found to contribute most to IHD in the Spanish population were excess weight in both sexes, followed by smoking in men (AU)

Stroke prevalence among the Spanish elderly: an analysis based on screening surveys.

BACKGROUND: This study sought to describe stroke prevalence in Spanish elderly populations and compare it against that of other European countries. METHODS: We identified screening surveys--both published and unpublished--in Spanish populations, which fulfilled specific quality requirements and targeted prevalence of stroke in populations aged 70 years and over. Surveys covering seven geographically different populations with prevalence years in the period 1991-2002 were selected, and the respective authors were then asked to provide descriptions of the methodology and raw age-specific data by completing a questionnaire. In addition, five reported screening surveys in European populations furnished useful data for comparison purposes. Prevalence data were combined, using direct adjustment and logistic regression. RESULTS: The overall study population, resident in central and north-eastern Spain, totalled 10,647 persons and yielded 715 cases. Age-adjusted prevalences, using the European standard population, were 7.3% for men, 5.6% for women, and 6.4% for both sexes. Prevalence was significantly lower in women, OR 0.79 95% CI 0.68-0.93, increased with age, particularly among women, and displayed a threefold spatial variation with statistically significant differences. Prevalences were highest, 8.7%, in suburban, and lowest, 3.8%, in rural populations. Compared to pooled Spanish populations, statistically significant differences were seen in eight Italian populations, OR 1.39 95% CI (1.18-1.64), and in Kungsholmen, Sweden, OR 0.40 95% CI (0.27-0.58). CONCLUSION: Prevalence in central and north-eastern Spain is higher in males and in suburban areas, and displays a threefold geographic variation, with women constituting the majority of elderly stroke sufferers. Compared to reported European data, stroke prevalence in Spain can be said to be medium and presents similar age- and sex-specific traits.

Risk of ischaemic heart disease and acute myocardial infarction in a Spanish population: observational prospective study in a primary-care setting.

BACKGROUND: Ischaemic heart disease is a global priority of health-care policy, because of its social repercussions and its impact on the health-care system. Yet there is little information on coronary morbidity in Spain and on the effect of the principal risk factors on risk of coronary heart disease. The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiology of coronary disease (incidence, mortality and its association with cardiovascular risk factors) using the information gathered by primary care practitioners on cardiovascular health of their population. METHODS: A prospective study was designed. Eight primary-care centres participated, each contributing to the constitution of the cohort with the entire population covered by the centre. A total of 6124 men and women aged over 25 years and free of cardiovascular disease agreed to participate and were thus enrolled and followed-up, with all fatal and non-fatal coronary disease episodes being registered during a 5-year period. Repeated measurements were collected on smoking, blood pressure, weight and height, serum total cholesterol, high-density and low-density lipoproteins and fasting glucose. Rates were calculated for acute myocardial infarction and ischaemic heart disease. Associations between cardiovascular risk factors and coronary disease-free survival were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: Mean age at recruitment was 51.6 +/- 15, with 24% of patients being over 65. At baseline, 74% of patients were overweight, serum cholesterol over 240 was present in 35% of patients, arterial hypertension in 37%, and basal glucose over 126 in 11%. Thirty-four percent of men and 13% of women were current smokers. During follow-up, 155 first episodes of coronary disease were detected, which yielded age-adjusted rates of 362 and 191 per 100,000 person-years in men and women respectively. Disease-free survival was associated with all risk factors in univariate analyses. After multivariate adjustments, age, male gender, smoking, high total cholesterol, high HDL/LDL ratio, diabetes and overweight remained strongly associated with risk. Relative risks for hypertension in women and for diabetes in men did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Despite high prevalence of vascular risk factors, incidence rates were lower than those reported for other countries and other periods, but similar to those reported in the few population-based studies in Spain. Effect measures of vascular risk factors were mainly as reported worldwide and support the hypothesis that protective factors not considered in this study must exist as to explain low rates. This study shows the feasibility of conducting epidemiological cohort studies in primary-care settings.

[Cardiovascular risk factors in Spanish population: metaanalysis of cross-sectional studies]. / Factores de riesgo cardiovascular en la población española: metaanálisis de estudios transversales.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To review published studies on the prevalence of the main vascular risk factors -hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity and tobacco smoking- in Spain, and to combine their results in an estimate for the Spanish population. MATERIAL AND METHOD: After a bibliographic search, the studies fulfilling the following inclusion criteria were selected: cross-sectional design, sampling on Spanish population, results including prevalence data of at least one of the above mentioned risk factors, and objective [corrected] (not self-referred) determination of arterial blood pressure, total serum cholesterol, basal glucose, weight, size and body mass index. The combined prevalence was obtained by means of the random effects model, including weight for the proportion that the studied population supposes on the total Spanish population. RESULTS: Forty-eight studies were identified including a total of 130.945 subjects. According to these studies, the most frequent vascular risk factors were hypertension in the elderly (66.7%, CI 59-74%), overweight/obesity in adult women (48,3%, CI 41-55%) and smoking among men (41.1%, CI 38-44%). In the Spanish population as a whole, 23% showed total cholesterol levels above 250 mg/dl; 33% were smokers (41,1% in men and 24% in women); 34% suffered hypertension; 20% were obese (18% in men and 23% in women); and diabetes affected 8% women and 12% men. CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular risk in Spain is high. Monitoring the vascular risk factors at a population level is basic for preventive and health care measures.

Dementia, stroke and Parkinson's disease in Spanish populations: a review of door-to-door prevalence surveys.

We identified 14 door-to-door prevalence surveys on dementia, parkinsonism or stroke in Spanish populations fulfilling specific criteria and combined selected age- and sex-specific data using logistic regression and taking Pamplona as a reference. The prevalence of dementia and of Alzheimer's disease varied significantly with space. However, the largest variation was seen for vascular dementia: odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for Gerona were 6.42 (3.23-12.3) in women and 2.30 (1.10-4.79) in men. Stroke was particularly frequent among Arevalo's women, with OR 2.10 and 95% CI 1.26-3.49. The prevalence of Parkinson's disease was twofold higher in Cantalejo. Although differences in methodology make the interpretation of results problematic, the prevalence of stroke and vascular dementia in Spain seems to vary spatially, indicating a space for prevention.

Factores de riesgo cardiovascular en la población española: metaanálisis de estudios transversales / Cardiovascular risk factors in Spanish population: meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies

FUNDAMENTO Y OBJETIVO: Revisar los estudios publicados sobre frecuencia poblacional de los principalesfactores de riesgo cardiovascular (hipertensión arterial, hipercolesterolemia, diabetesmellitus, obesidad y tabaquismo), y combinar sus resultados en una estimación para el conjuntode la población española.MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica seleccionando los estudios que cumplieronlos siguientes criterios: diseño transversal, muestreo sobre población española, presentarcifras de prevalencia de al menos uno de los factores de riesgo mencionados, y mediciónobjetiva (no autorreferida) de presión arterial, colesterol total, glucemia basal e índice de masacorporal. La prevalencia combinada se obtuvo mediante el modelo de efectos aleatorios ponderadospor la proporción que el estrato de población investigado supone en el conjunto de la poblacióngeneral española.RESULTADOS: Se identificaron 48 trabajos que, en conjunto, incluyeron a 130.945 personas. Deacuerdo con estos trabajos, los factores de riesgo cardiovascular más frecuentes son la hipertensiónarterial en los mayores de 65 años (66,7%; intervalo de confianza del 95%, 59-74), elexceso de peso en mujeres adultas (48,3%; IC del 95%, 41-55) y el tabaquismo en varones(41,1%; IC del 95%, 38-44). En el conjunto de la población española un 23% presenta valoresde colesterol total por encima de 250 mg/dl; son fumadores el 33% (41% de los varones yel 24% de las mujeres); un 34% padece hipertensión arterial; un 20% es obeso (el 18% de losvarones y el 23% de las mujeres)2; y la diabetes afecta al 8% de las mujeres y al 12% de losvarones.CONCLUSIÓN: El riesgo cardiovascular en la población española es elevado. Su monitorización poblacionales fundamental en la planificación de medidas preventivas y asistenciales

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To review published studies on the prevalence of the main vascularrisk factors -hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity and tobacco smoking-in Spain, and to combine their results in an estimate for the Spanish population.MATERIAL AND METHOD: After a bibliographic search, the studies fulfilling the following inclusioncriteria were selected: cross-sectional design, sampling on Spanish population, results includingprevalence data of at least one of the above mentioned risk factors, and objetive (not selfreferred)determination of arterial blood pressure, total serum cholesterol, basal glucose,weight, size and body mass index. The combined prevalence was obtained by means of the randomeffects model, including weight for the proportion that the studied population supposes onthe total Spanish population.RESULTS: Forty-eight studies were identified including a total of 130.945 subjects. According tothese studies, the most frequent vascular risk factors were hypertension in the elderly (66.7%,CI 59-74%), overweight/obesity in adult women (48,3%, CI 41-55%) and smoking among men(41.1%, CI 38-44%). In the Spanish population as a whole, 23% showed total cholesterol levelsabove 250 mg/dl; 33% were smokers (41,1% in men and 24% in women); 34% sufferedhypertension; 20% were obese (18% in men and 23% in women); and diabetes affected 8%women and 12% men.CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular risk in Spain is high. Monitoring the vascular risk factors at a populationlevel is basic for preventive and health care measures