Click here to download the full CardioVision 2020 Baseline Community Report Card (548k) in pdf* format (reproduced with permission from Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2000; 75: 1153-1159). This article summarizes the cardiovascular risk factors of the Olmsted County population at the beginning of CardioVision 2020. The data indicate considerable opportunity to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

* If you do not have Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® (to view pdf files), you can download it for free here.

• Between 1979 and 1994, the number of deaths from heart disease in Olmsted County declined.
• The rates of death from heart disease improved more in men than women – by 4.2 percent per year in men and by 2.5 percent in women.
• The rates of death from heart disease improved more in young people than in old – that may indicate a shift toward older Olmsted County residents having heart disease rather than a general decrease in heart disease.
• Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States and the burden of heart disease continues to be significant in an aging population.

• More Rochester residents are being diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.
• The prevalence of adult-onset diabetes mellitus among Rochester residents aged 45 years or more, rose 48 percent between 1970 and 1990.
• The increase was greater for men than for women.
• There was a marked increase in the proportion of persons with diabetes who are obese.
• The results of this study may be an early warning sign that heart disease deaths will continue to increase in the future.

• High blood pressure is a main risk factor for both coronary heart disease and stroke.
• There is a disturbingly low awareness and control of high blood pressure in Olmsted County – a prosperous community with easy access to both primary and tertiary medical care. 39% of Olmsted County residents who have high blood pressure are unaware of their disease.
• The overall prevalence of high blood pressure is 53% in Olmsted County residents aged 45 years or older. Only 16.6% of those with high blood pressure in Olmsted County are being treated and controlled. There has been a 4.9% increase in systolic blood pressure and a 5% increase in diastolic pressure of Olmsted County residents since 1986.