Cardiovascular risk factors were assessed in two population surveys conducted in 1985-87 and 1989-91, in Haute-Garonne, among 675 and 590 middle-aged men, respectively. Relative to the first survey, the frequency of reported diabetes increased (9.7 vs 5.5%, p < 0.02), the frequency of hypertension decreased (27.6 vs 21.9%, p < 0.001), body mass index increased (26.3 vs 25.6 kg.m-2, p < 0.001), while the lipid levels did not change (total cholesterol: 2.25 vs 2.29 g/l; HDL-cholesterol: 0.51 +/- 0.13 vs 0.53 +/- 0.14 g/l). Although the frequency of smokers decreased slightly (42.0 vs 34.7%, p < 0.01), the cigarette consumption among smokers did not change (16.0 +/- 13.9 vs 15.7 +/- 12.1 cigarettes/day). These results show that cardiovascular risk factor levels did not improve significantly in Haute-Garonne.