Cardiovascular risk profile evolution over 15 years: comparison between CV-PREVITAL Trial and Moli-sani Study participants

Fifteen years elapsed between two surveys of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in the same Italian region. Modifiable CV risk profiles were compared among 2,199 individuals enrolled in the CV-PREVITAL trial (2022-2024) at IRCCS Neuromed with those of 16,656 participants from the Moli-sani Study (2005-2010), matched for age and absence of prior CV disease. The Moli-sani Risk Score is a validated algorithm incorporating nine common modifiable risk factors measured overall risk. Most individual risk factors were more favorable in CV-PREVITAL compared with Moli-sani participants, besides hypertension in men and glucose levels in women. Relative fat mass was similar in both cohorts. Men in CV-PREVITAL had a mean Moli-sani Risk Score 4.8 points lower than Moli-sani men; women showed a 4.5-point reduction. These findings suggest a meaningful decline in modifiable CV risk over a 15-year interval, potentially reflecting enhanced prevention awareness, improved therapeutic efficacy, and cumulative effects of long-term public health communication.