To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in individuals aged 35-74 years in 10 of Spain's autonomous communities and determine the geographic variation of cardiovascular risk factors distribution.

Pooled analysis with individual data from 11 studies conducted in the first decade of the 21st century. The average response rate was 73%. Lipid profile (with laboratory cross-validation), glucose level, blood pressure, waist circumference, height, and weight were measured and standard questionnaires administered. Age-standardized prevalence of smoking, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity in the European population were calculated. Furthermore, the coefficient of variation between component studies was determined for the prevalence of each risk factor.

In total, 28,887 participants were included. The most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors were high blood pressure (47% in men, 39% in women), total cholesterol ≥250mg/dL (43% and 40%, respectively), obesity (29% and 29%, respectively), tobacco use (33% and 21%, respectively), and diabetes (16% and 11%, respectively). Total cholesterol ≥190 and ≥250mg/dL were the respective minimum and maximum coefficients of variation (7%-24% in men, 7%-26% in women). Average concordance in lipid measurements between laboratories was excellent.

Prevalence of high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, obesity, tobacco use and diabetes is high. Little variation was observed between autonomous communities in the population aged 35-74 years. However, presence of the most prevalent cardiovascular risk factors in the Canary Islands, Extremadura and Andalusia was greater than the mean of the 11 studies.