Sex differences of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with symptomatic carotid disease

Cardiovascular diseases, especially heart disease and stroke are the cause of more than a half of the total number of deaths in Serbia. The aim of the present study was to determine sex differences of atherosclerotic risk factors in patients with symptomatic carotid disease. The cross-sectional study, involving 657 consecutive patients with verified carotid atherosclerotic disease, was performed in Belgrade, Serbia. Sex differences of anthropometric parameters and atherosclerotic risk factors were analyzed by means of the univariate logistic regression. In comparison with men, lower education and physical inactivity were significantly more frequent in women, and the frequency of metabolic syndrome (MetS), lower high-density cholesterol, abdominal obesity, body mass index > or = 30.0 kg/m2, hypercholesterolemia and depression were also significantly higher in women. Smoking and high serum uric acid level were significantly more frequent in men than in women. Women had significantly higher number of MetS components per person, but there were no significant sex differences in the number of other risk factors. Out of all observed risk factors, including MetS components, physical inactivity and hypertension were most frequent in both sexes followed by ever smoking and low education in men and low education and dyslipidemia in women. There were significant sex differences in the distribution of some atherosclerotic risk factors, but not in their number per person. Only the number of MetS components was significantly higher in women.