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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and educational level seems to be an important determinant of the disease occurrence. The aim of this work was to investigate the association between education status and 10-year incidence of CVD, controlling for various socio-demographic lifestyle and clinical factors. From May 2001 to December 2002, 1514 men and 1528 women (>18 years) without any clinical evidence of CVD or any other chronic disease, at baseline, living in greater Athens area, Greece, were enrolled. In 2011-2012, the 10-year follow-up was performed in 2583 participants (15% of the participants were lost to follow-up). Incidence of fatal or non-fatal CVD was defined according to WHO-ICD-10 criteria. Education status was measured in years of schooling. The 10-year incidence of CVD was 15.7% [95% confidence intervals (CI) 14.1%-17.4%], 19.7% in men and 11.7% in women (Pgender < 0.001). Age-and gender-adjusted analyses revealed that those with low education (<9 years of schooling) were 1.52 times more likely (95% CI 1.03-2.23%) to have CVD compared with those with high education (>12 years of schooling). People in the low education group had higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidaemias, were more likely to be smokers and sedentary, had less healthy dietary habits, as compared with those in the high education group. When controlling for participants' medical history, smoking, dietary and lifestyle habits, low education was no longer significantly associated with CVD, illustrating the mediating effect of clinical and behavioural factors in the link between education and disease. It was of interest that low education status interacted with alcohol drinking, enhancing the adverse effect of low education on CVD risk (relative risk 1.44, 95% CI 0.94%-2.20%), after various adjustments made. In this study, it was concluded that low educational level was associated with increased CVD risk. This was mainly explained by the intermediate association of low education with unhealthy choices that consequently worsen clinical status., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The traditional view on the relationship between lipid biomarkers and CVD risk has changed during the last decade. However, it is not clear whether novel lipid biomarkers are able to confer a better predictability of CVD risk, compared to traditional ones.Under this perspective, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the predictive ability of blood lipids' profile on all cause mortality as well as 10-year incidence of CVD, in a sample of apparently healthy adults of the ATTICA epidemiological study., Methods: From May 2001 to December 2002, 1514 men and 1528 women (>18 y) without any clinical evidence of any other chronic disease, at baseline, were enrolled. In 2011-12, the 10-year follow-up was performed in 2583 participants (85 % follow-up participation rate). Incidence of fatal or non-fatal CVD was defined according to WHO-ICD-10 criteria. Baseline serum blood lipids' profile (Total-C, HDL-, non HDL-, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), apolipoprotein (Apo)A1 and B, and lipoprotein-(a) levels were also measured., Results: The 10-year all-cause mortality rate was 5.7 % for men and 2.0 % for women (p = 0.55). The, 10-year CVD incidence was 19.7 % in men and 11.7 % in women (p < 0.001). Multi-adjusted analysis revealed that TC, non-HDL-C, TG and TG/HDL-C ratio, were independent predictors of all cause mortality (RR per 1 mg/dL or unit (95 % CI): 1.006 (1.000-1.013), 1.006 (1.000-1.013), 1.002 (1.000-1.004), 1.038 (1.001-1.077), respectively). Moreover, TC, HDL-, LDL-, non-HDL-cholesterol, TG, apoA1, TC/HDL-C and TG/HDL-C were independently associated with CVD risk. Among all lipid indices the ratio of apoB/apoA1 demonstrated the best correct reclassification ability, followed by non-HDL-C and TC/HDL-C ratio (continuous Net Reclassification Index 26.1 and 21.2 %, respectively)., Conclusion: Elevated levels of lipid biomarkers are independently associated with all-cause mortality, as well as CVD risk. The ratio of apoB/apoA1, followed by non-HDL-C, demonstrated the best correct classification ability of the developed CVD risk models.

Aim: The 10-year incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality, as well as its determinants, in a sample of men and women from Greece, was evaluated., Methods: From May 2001 to December 2002, 1514 men and 1528 women (>18y) without any clinical evidence of CVD or any other chronic disease, at baseline, living in greater Athens area, in Greece, were enrolled. In 2011-12, the 10-year follow-up was performed in 2583 participants (15% of the participants were lost to follow-up). Incidence of fatal or non-fatal CVD (coronary heart disease, acute coronary syndromes, stroke, or other CVD) was defined according to World Health Organization (WHO)-International Coding Diseases (ICD)-10 criteria., Results: The 10-year CVD incidence was 19.7% in men and 11.7% in women (p<0.001). Multi-adjusted analysis revealed that the determinants of CVD events were increased age (Hazard ratio (HR) per year=1.06, 95%Confidence Interval (CI): 1.04, 1.08), male sex (HR=1.40, 95%CI: 0.90, 2.19), smoking (HR=1.53, 95%CI: 1.03, 2.27), C-reactive protein levels (HR per 1mg/L=1.06, 95%CI: 1.02, 1.15), as well as adherence to Mediterranean diet (protective) (HR per 1/55 units=0.98, 95%CI: 0.95, 1.01)., Conclusion: The burden of CVD and its related risk factors is at emerging rates, in Greece, making the need for effective public health actions, more necessary than ever before., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The incidence of diabetes in the general population is increasing world-wide. The increase is attributed to the consumption of saturated fatty acids, obesity, lack of physical activity, genetic predisposition, and other factors, but knowledge about the reasons, biological mechanisms, and late complications is insufficient. It is therefore important to clarify the reasons more exactly through long-term clinical trials to stop the rise of diabetes and its complications., Aim: To evaluate the 10-year incidence of type 2 diabetes in apparently healthy Greek adults., Methods: In 2001-2002, a random sample of 1514 men (18-87 years old) and 1528 women (18-89 years old) was selected to participate in the ATTICA study. During 2011-2012, the 10-year follow-up was performed. Patients diagnosed with diabetes at baseline (n = 210) and those lost at the 10-year follow-up (n = 1347) were excluded, yielding a final sample of 1485 participants., Results: During the period of investigation, diabetes was diagnosed in 191 cases corresponding to a 12.9% incidence (95%CI: 10.4-15.4), with 13.4% (95%CI: 10.8-16) in men and 12.4% (95%CI: 10.1-14.7) in women. A relative increase was observed in the second half of the 10-year follow-up when age became significant. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age (OR = 1.14, 95%CI: 1.09-1.19), abnormal waist-to-height ratio (OR = 3.27, 95%CI: 1.07-10.0), fasting blood glucose (OR per 1 mg/dl = 0.05, 95%CI: 1.02-1.08), energy intake (OR per 500 kcal = 1.02, 95%CI: 1.01-1.35), and family history of diabetes (OR = 2.8, 95%CI: 1.30-6.03) were the most significant baseline predictors for diabetes, after adjusting for potential confounders. Waist-to-height ratio showed the best explanatory power of all anthropometric variables. Physical activity exerts an effect on risk factors. Being active was found to eliminate the aggravating effect of diabetes family history and fasting blood glucose., Conclusions: The findings confirm the escalating increase of type 2 diabetes incidence in Greece, which is in line with global trends. A lifestyle change in individuals at risk of developing diabetes towards healthier eating and increased physical activity would be an effective and inexpensive means of reducing diabetes.

Background: Familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCH) is an inherited lipid disorder associated with premature cardiovascular disease. It has not been established whether the cardiometabolic risk factors, which frequently accompany FCH, such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hypertension, modulate cardiovascular risk in FCH patients., Methods and Results: In this single-center, retrospective study, 695 FCH patients with adequate follow-up were enrolled (mean age, 48.9 years; 455 male). Risk factors including lipid levels were evaluated before the initiation of treatment. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and cardiovascular death were recorded during a mean follow-up of 9 years. The combined endpoint (AMI and/or cardiovascular death) occurred in 41 patients (5.9% of the total). Those FCH patients who reached the combined endpoint had lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) than those who did not, but levels of other lipid variables were similar. Presence of hypertension, diabetes or MetS was a predictor of the combined endpoint on univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis (all P<0.005). Multivariate Cox proportional analysis showed that hypertension and MetS were associated with the combined endpoint independently of age, gender, HDL-C and presence of coronary artery disease at enrollment (adjusted hazard ratios [HRs], 3.00; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46-6.17, P=0.003; HR, 2.43; 95CI%: 1.11-5.33, P=0.026, respectively)., Conclusions: Cardiometabolic risk factors such as hypertension and MetS are independent predictors of major cardiovascular events in FCH patients.