Romania rural health dataset 2015-2017

Abstract Data from 2988 subjects were collected during health campaigns aimed at providing free medical care in rural, remote areas of Romania. Rural residents underwent medical examinations and blood tests, to evaluate the prevalence CVDs and of their major risk factors, i.e. hypertension (HT), obesity, smoking, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. The overall prevalence of CVD was 14%: coronary heart disease (9%), stroke (2.9%), peripheral artery disease (1.3%) and atrial fibrillation (3.2%). Prevalence of HT was unexpectedly high (72.8%) as was the proportion of newly diagnosed HT (33.3%). Of those aware, 65% were treated, but only 17.2% were on target. Other CV risk factors prevalence was: obesity (31.3%), diabetes mellitus (12.6%), dyslipidemia (64.7%) and smoking (16.2%). Obesity, smoking, and diabetes increased the likelihood of developing CVD by 1.7 times, with HT being the leading risk factor by 2.7-fold. The 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event (Framingham score) was high (over 20%) in one third of the subjects, while the risk of a fatal CV event in the following 10 years (SCORE) was above 5% in almost a quarter (22%) of the studied population. In this study, the first focusing on the health of the rural population in Romania, the prevalence of HT was unexpectedly high, as was the cardiovascular risk, pointing to the need of strategies to improve medical care. Methods Information regarding the health of rural residents was collected during campaigns organized by the “Doctors’ Caravan Association” - a non-governmental organization composed of physicians and medical students volunteering to travel to Romania’s rural regions and offer free medical services. The selection of the settlements was done according to the association’s objectives, aimed at providing basic medical care to people in rural areas with low accessibility to medical services. The study was conducted between 2015 and 2017 in 20 villages/small towns located mostly in the South and East of Romania. A total of 2988 patients were examined by the volunteering physicians. After obtaining an informed consent, blood tests were drawn from the inhabitants willing to be examined. The blood panel included a complete blood count, lipid profile (cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipids), glucose and glycated hemoglobin, as well as markers for liver and kidney function (alanine transaminase and creatinine) and chronic hepatitis B and C markers. On a second visit, a team of medical doctors recorded a standardized medical history, measured the blood pressure (BP), performed a full physical exam and gave treatment recommendations based on the clinical findings and the laboratory tests.摘要 本研究在罗马尼亚农村偏远地区开展旨在提供免费医疗服务的健康巡回活动期间，收集了2988名研究对象的相关数据。研究对象为当地乡村居民，均接受了体格检查与血液检测，以评估心血管疾病（Cardiovascular Diseases, CVDs）的患病率及其主要危险因素，即高血压（Hypertension, HT）、肥胖、吸烟、糖尿病与血脂异常。 研究显示，心血管疾病总体患病率为14%：其中冠状动脉心脏病占9%、中风占2.9%、外周动脉疾病占1.3%、心房颤动占3.2%。高血压患病率高达72.8%，新确诊高血压比例亦达33.3%，均超出预期。在已知自身患病的研究对象中，65%接受了治疗，但仅17.2%的患者血压控制达标。其余心血管危险因素的患病率分别为：肥胖31.3%、糖尿病（diabetes mellitus）12.6%、血脂异常64.7%、吸烟16.2%。 肥胖、吸烟与糖尿病可使心血管疾病发病风险升高1.7倍，而高血压则是最主要的危险因素，可使发病风险升高2.7倍。约三分之一的研究对象10年心血管事件风险（弗雷明汉风险评分, Framingham score）高于20%，近四分之一（22%）的研究对象未来10年致命性心血管事件风险（SCORE评分）超过5%。 本研究是首个聚焦罗马尼亚乡村居民健康的相关研究，结果显示当地高血压患病率与心血管疾病风险均处于较高水平，提示亟需制定策略以改善当地医疗服务水平。 方法 研究数据由“医生巡回医疗车队协会（Doctors’ Caravan Association）”组织的巡回医疗活动期间收集，该协会为由自愿前往罗马尼亚农村地区提供免费医疗服务的医师与医学生组成的非政府组织。 研究团队根据协会的目标选择医疗服务可及性较低的乡村聚落开展活动，旨在为当地居民提供基础医疗服务。本研究于2015年至2017年间在罗马尼亚南部与东部的20个村庄/小型城镇开展，共有2988名居民接受了志愿医师的检查。 在获取知情同意书后，研究人员为自愿参与检查的居民采集血液样本。血液检测项目包括全血细胞计数、血脂谱（胆固醇、甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白）、血糖与糖化血红蛋白，以及肝肾功能标志物（谷丙转氨酶、肌酐）与慢性乙型、丙型肝炎标志物。 在第二次随访中，医疗团队记录标准化病史、测量血压（Blood Pressure, BP）、完成全面体格检查，并根据临床检查结果与实验室检测结果给出治疗建议。