Impact of Aging on the Strength of Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Longitudinal Study Over 40 Years

BackgroundThe knowledge of the impact of cardiovascular risk factors at different ages has mainly been based on different studies performed at different ages. This study aimed to investigate the change in impact of traditional cardiovascular risk factors over the aging process in subjects followed for 4 decades. Methods and ResultsIn the ULSAM (Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men) study, 2322 men originally investigated in 1970 to 1974 have been followed regarding cardiovascular diseases until the end of 2013. This cohort has been investigated physically at ages 50, 60, 70, 77, and 82 years regarding body mass index, low‐density lipoprotein‐ and high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and smoking. These data were used to model the interactions between risk factors and age regarding incident myocardial infarction (n=540), ischemic stroke (n=343), or heart failure (n=397). Significant interactions were observed between age and the set of traditional risk factors regarding all 3 outcomes (P