Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Diabetes in Medical Students: Observational Study, Experience in Colombia

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular Disease is a leading cause of preventable death. Cardiovascular risk factors’ identification is the cornerstone for effective and early interventions decreasing the frequency of acute health-threatening events. Since adolescence and youth are very vulnerable stages to develop risky habits, we decided to run this study in the Multidisciplinary Universitary Camp for Research and Service.
 Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in the Multidisciplinary Universitary Camp for Research and Service in which 450 medical students from Colombia were assessed. After a probabilistic random simple sampling (n=50), we applied the World Health Organization test and Finnish Risk Score to calculate Cardiovascular and Diabetes Mellitus risk, respectively. We characterized the population by sociodemographic variables and anthropometric measurements.
 Results: The study shows that from 18 participating universities (n=50), the mean age of the participants was 21.14 years (SD 7.3) of whom 40% were male and 60% were female. Overall, 92% have a low risk of cardiovascular disease, 6% are at moderate risk and 2% are at high risk. 92% have low risk of diabetes mellitus and 8% are at moderate risk of having diabetes mellitus in the long term.
 Conclusion: The early identification of and intervention on risk factors could decrease significantly the onset of acute health-threatening cardiovascular pathologies. As medical students, adolescents and young adults are at risk of developing unhealthy habits which increase the incidence of cardiovascular disorders. The use of anthropometric measures and validated risk score scales is an appropriate way to get evidence for starting early interventions.

The Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Levels in Obesity

“…Obesity, NAFLD and T2DM also share a common feature with cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disorders, i.e. target organ-insulin resistance, in which the contribution of oxidative stress is well established [34][35][36][37]. Moreover, the involvement of oxidative stress in the development and progression of solid and haematological cancers has also been extensively studied and explained by various pathogenic mechanisms, including low-grade chronic inflammation, also found in obese patients [38][39].…”

Knowledge about NCD in medical students and screening for their nutritional status

“…10 Another 2016 study measured the prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease risk factors among 180 medical students, out of which 7.8% were overweight and 2% were obese. 28 A study analysing the lipid profile of 153 medical students showed that 15% were overweight and 2.6% were obese. 29 A study investigating the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among 433 medical students from east India showed that 70% of the sample were obese.…”

Dyslipidemia: A Trigger for Coronary Heart Disease in Romanian Patients with Diabetes

“…In addition, patients with T2DM and CVD who have LDLc >70 mg/dL and are already receiving the maximum tolerated statin dose may benefit by taking another lipid-lowering drug, but with another mechanism of action (e.g., ezetimibe) [25]. Irrespective of the currently available armamentarium in the management of T2DM and related conditions, lifestyle adjustments and the primary prevention of T2DM, CHD or dyslipidemia remain of uttermost importance [26]. Lifestyle interventions remain, however, difficult to implement, even in subjects who are aware of the risks of an unhealthy diet and of sedentarism, such as medical students and physicians [27][28][29].…”