Cardiovascular health in urban Suriname The Healthy Life in Suriname (HELISUR) study

Cardiovascular disease is rapidly rising in many low- and middle-income countries. Yet, the lack of data on cardiovascular risk factors hampers the design of effective prevention strategies. The current thesis describes the status quo of cardiovascular risk factors and asymptomatic organ damage in the middle-income population of urban Suriname. As a secondary objective, we explored ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk. To address the aims of this thesis, we designed the Healthy Life in Suriname (HELISUR) study, an observational cross-sectional study among different ethnic groups in the capital of Suriname.
The cardiovascular risk factor burden in urban Suriname was alarmingly high, with only 1% of the adult population having an optimal cardiovascular risk profile, the coexistence of multiple cardiovascular risk factors, also in the young, and the suboptimal levels of control. An increase in cardiovascular disease of epidemic proportions may be anticipated, unless drastic preventive measures are taken. Furthermore, we found striking ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk. Compared to individuals of African ancestry, those of Asian ancestry had substantially more often diabetes and dyslipidemia. Preventive strategies at the population level, such as screening for hypertension and obesity prevention, together with ethnic-specific approaches for diabetes and dyslipidemia in Asian ancestry populations, should be implemented in order to protect the cardiovascular health of urban Surinamese.