Risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in China

Background: Coronary heart disease and stroke have become a major public health problem in China. It was considered important to undertake studies of incidence and mortality from these conditions and the distribution of their major risk factors in a manner permitting comparison with other countries and among regions within China. Methods: China joined the World Heart Organization MONItoring of trends and determinants of Cardiovascular disease (WHO MONICA) Project, as the only developing country participant, by establishing the China-Beijing MONICA center. Monitoring of cardiovascular events, risk factors, and other relevant data was conducted under the standard methods of the MONICA Project. Sixteen additional centers were established within China and data collected similarly. Finally, national probability samples provide data on hypertension and its control and on smoking behavior. Results: China has demonstrated low incidence and mortality from coronary events and high rates of stroke, relative to all or most of the WHO MONICA Project centers in developed countries: high prevalence of hypertension with low frequencies of awareness, treatment, and control; high prevalence of smoking among men; and upward trends in smoking and serum total cholesterol concentrations are described. Conclusions: The cardiovascular disease problem of China is very large and is increasing as a public health burden. Guidelines for shaping and adapting preventive strategies are discussed.