Evaluation of selected risk factors for cardiovascular disease among people in retirement age living in Lower Silesia region

WSTĘP. Za zachorowalność i umieralność osób w podeszłym wieku odpowiadają przede wszystkim choroby układu sercowo-naczyniowego. Autorzy przedstawionego niżej badania skupili się na wybranych czynnikach ryzyka wystąpienia chorób układu krążenia: zwiększonej masie ciała, hipercholesterolemii oraz hiperglikemii. MATERIAŁ I METODY. Badania zostały zrealizowane przez Katedrę i Zakład Medycyny Społecznej Akademii Medycznej we Wrocławiu w latach 2007–2009. Wzięły w nim udział 533 osoby w wieku poprodukcyjnym. U każdego z badanych oceniono stężenie cholesterolu całkowitego i glikemię na czczo oraz określono wskaźnik masy ciała (BMI). Dane zostały przeanalizowane w ujęciu ogólnym, z uwzględnieniem płci i miejsca zamieszkania. Do oceny istotności statystycznej wykorzystano test χ2, p ≤ 0,05. Siłę i kierunek zależności oceniono z użyciem współczynnika korelacji Q–Yule’a. WYNIKI. Prawidłowa masa ciała charakteryzowała tylko 19,0% ogółu badanych; w przypadku 42,2% stwierdzono nadwagę, a u 38,8% — otyłość. Płeć i miejsce zamieszkania były zmiennymi istotnie statystycznie różnicującymi rozkład wartości BMI w badanej populacji. Hipercholesterolemię stwierdzono u 52,5% ogółu badanych, istotnie statystycznie częściej w populacji kobiet niż mężczyzn. Miejsce zamieszkania nie różnicowało istotnie statystycznie częstości występowania hipercholesterolemii. W przypadku niemal połowy (46,3%) badanej populacji stwierdzono nieprawidłową wartość glikemii na czczo — istotnie statystycznie częściej wśród mieszkańców wsi niż miast, bez względu na płeć. WNIOSKI. Wszystkie przeanalizowane w omawianej pracy czynniki ryzyka chorób układu krążenia przedstawiają niekorzystny obraz profilu zdrowotnego osób w wieku poprodukcyjnym. Celowym byłoby przygotowanie szerokich działań prewencyjnych, szczególnie ukierunkowanych na populację wiejską, z uwzględnieniem zmniejszenia masy ciała i normalizacji glikemii.INTRODUCTION. Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. In this study, we focused on selected cardiovascular risk factors: increased body weight, hyperglycemia and hypercholesterolemia. MATERIAL AND METHODS. The study was conducted in the Department of Social Medicine in the years 2007–2009. Five hundred thirty three retired subjects were included in the study. For each participant, total cholesterol and fasting glucose were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Data were analyzed for the whole population and by gender, place of residence or both. Statistical analysis was performed using χ2 test and Yule’s Q correlation coefficient. RESULTS. Only 19% of all respondents had proper body weight, 42.2% were overweight, 38.8% were obese. Gender and place of residence were significantly associated with BMI distribution differences among studied subjects. Hypercholesterolemia was found in 52.5% of all respondents, significantly more often in women. Place of residence did not influence significantly the incidence of hypercholesterolemia, both in the whole study population and in men and women analyzed separately. Almost half (46.3%) of the study population had abnormal fasting glucose levels, which was significantly more frequent among rural than urban area residents, regardless of gender. CONCLUSIONS. Our study evaluating selected cardiovascular risk factors showed that people in retirement age are characterized by unfavorable health profile. Of particular value would be development of a broad preventive program including weight reduction and normalization of blood glucose and targeted specifically to rural population

A physical activity assessment of Wroclaw Medical University students with IPAQ – long questionnaire: a cross sectional study

Background . Polish society is characterized with low physical activity. Medical University students, as future doctors, should not only understand the importance of physical activity, but also do all they can to actively propagate it. Objectives. The aim of conducted research was to assess the level of physical activity among students of the final study year of Medical and Dentistry Faculties of Wroclaw Medical University. Material and methods . Study group included 211 people. In term of age and gender students of both faculties were a homogenous group. The study was conducted in summer term of 2011/2012 academic year, auditory method, ensuring anonymity. The study tool was International Questioner of Physical Activity (IPAQ) – long form. Based on MET s values the authors distinguished three levels of total physical activity – intense, moderate and low. Results . The level of students’ physical activity is comparable between the faculties with slightly higher values for students of Dentistry Faculty. Distributions of three levels of physical activity were similar between the faculties. Conclusions. The present study showed a need of health promotion in contests of physical activity among students of both faculties. The lowest activity of them (both male and female) is in the domain of work-related, during academic year. It creates a need for modifications of the study curriculum by adding additional sport classes and promoting attitudes of undertaking physical activity during other than study related activities

Sociodemographic characteristic of changes in smoking patterns in rural and urban population of PURE Poland study: findings from 6-year follow up

Abstract Background Tobacco smoking is one of the most serious modern civilization threats. According to WHO identifying patterns of tobacco use is essential for implementing effective preventive policies. The aim of the paper was to assess changes in smoking patterns among the PURE study population over 6 years. Methods The study sample comprised of 1784 adult participants from PURE Poland study, who were assessed at baseline (2007–2010) and then at 6-year follow-up. Participants were classified into current smokers, ex-smokers and never smokers. Smoking patterns were analyzed according to sex, age/birth cohort, place of residence (urban vs rural setting), and education level. Results Overall, a significant decrease of 3.1% in current smokers was observed (from 20.0% in baseline to 16.9 at follow-up). However, 0.8% of never smokers and 6.2% of ex-smokers at baseline were classified as current smokers at 6-year follow-up. Despite overall decrease in percentage of current smokers in both rural and urban area, in fact significantly more ex-smokers from rural area became current smokers after 6 years. Living in the rural area was associated with nearly two-fold increase in current smoking, and almost two-fold decline in chances to quit smoking. The highest percentage of current smokers was observed in birth year cohort 1961–1979. Conclusion Despite a small but significant decline in overall smoking rates, important differences in smoking and quitting patterns emerged between rural and urban areas, as well as sexes. A less favorable smoking patterns were observed among women, and rural populations, suggesting that these are important targets of future tobacco control interventions in Poland

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis in Men with Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder with a chronic, progressive course. The etiology of this condition is linked to the interactions of multiple genes and environmental factors. The earlier age of onset of schizophrenia, the higher frequency of negative symptoms in the clinical presentation, and the poorer response to antipsychotic treatment in men compared to women suggests the involvement of sex hormones in these processes. This article aims to draw attention to the possible relationship between testosterone and some clinical features in male schizophrenic patients and discuss the complex nature of these phenomena based on data from the literature. PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched to select the papers without limiting the time of the publications. Hormone levels in the body are regulated by many organs and systems, and take place through the neuroendocrine, hormonal, neural, and metabolic pathways. Sex hormones play an important role in the development and function of the organism. Besides their impact on secondary sex characteristics, they influence brain development and function, mood, and cognition. In men with schizophrenia, altered testosterone levels were noted. In many cases, evidence from available single studies gave contradictory results. However, it seems that the testosterone level in men affected by schizophrenia may differ depending on the phase of the disease, types of clinical symptoms, and administered therapy. The etiology of testosterone level disturbances may be very complex. Besides the impact of the illness (schizophrenia), stress, and antipsychotic drug-induced hyperprolactinemia, testosterone levels may be influenced by, i.a., obesity, substances of abuse (e.g., ethanol), or liver damage