Prevalence of undiagnosed cardiovascular risk factors and 10-Year CVD risk in male steel industry workers

Benjamin J. Gray*, Richard M. Bracken, Daniel Turner, Kerry Morgan, Stephen D. Mellalieu, Michael Thomas, Sally P. Williams, Meurig Williams, Sam Rice, Jeffrey W. Stephens

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:: To assess the prevalence of undiagnosed cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a cohort of male steelworkers in South Wales, UK. METHODS:: Male steel industry workers (n = 221) with no prior diagnosis of CVD or diabetes accepted a CVD risk assessment within the work environment. Demographic, anthropometric, family, and medical histories were all recorded and capillary blood samples obtained. The 10-year CVD risk was predicted using the QRISK2-2012 algorithm. RESULTS:: Up to 81.5% of workers were either overweight or obese. More than 20% of workers were found to have diastolic hypertension, high total cholesterol, and/or a total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein ratio of six or more. Over one quarter of workers assessed had an increased 10-year CVD risk. CONCLUSIONS:: Despite a physically demanding occupation, risk assessment in the workplace uncovered significant occult factors in CVD risk in a sample of male heavy industry workers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)535-539
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Volume56
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2014
Externally publishedYes

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