Cardiovascular risk factors associated with disability
Elderly men from Zutphen were divided at baseline in those with a high cardiovascular risk, defined as 2 or more of the following traditional cardiovascular risk factors: obesity, smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes and a low-risk group with less than 2 risk factors. Men at baseline with a high cardiovascular risk had compared to those with a low risk a 2-fold or greater risk of functional disabilities after 5, 10 or 15 years. These results suggest that elevated cardiovascular risk factor might prevent or postpone disability.
Design of the study
In the Zutphen Elderly Study, traditional cardiovascular risk factors measured in 1985 were evaluated in relation to information on self-reported disabilities collected in 1990, 1995 and 2000.