ATLANTA—The number of Americans with a low risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is 7.5 percent, which is a reverse in trend from the progress made during the 1970s and 1980s, said a new paper from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Circulation. 2009 Sep 14).
The review, published in American Heart Association journal Circulation, compared the numbers of adults 25 to 74 years who were at a low risk for CVD using four measures: not currently smoking; total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL and not using cholesterol-lowering medications; systolic blood pressure below 120 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure below 80 mm Hg and not using antihypertensive medications; body mass index (BMI) less than 25 kg/m2; and not having been previously diagnosed with diabetes.
During 1999 to 2004, 7.5 percent of Americans met all four criteria, compared to 4.4 percent during 1971 to 1975 and 10.5 percent during 1988 to 1994.