Global Cardiovscular Risk and Vascular Age in Patients with Ischemic Cardiopatia at the Kara University Hospital (Kara-U H)

Abstract

Introduction: Ischemic heart disease, which used to be infrequent in African countries, has become a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity. Objectives: To determine the frequency of cardiovascular risk factors, to calculate the level of cardiovascular risk in patients with ischemic heart disease, and to compare the calendar age and vascular age of these patients. Patients and methods: This is a descriptive and analytical study conducted from July 2017 to May 2021 in the cardiology department of Kara University Hospital and included records of patients hospitalized for ischemic heart disease. The different cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed allowing to determine the vascular age and the global cardiovascular risk of these patients before their stroke. Results: The hospital incidence of ischemic heart disease was 3.2%. There was a discrete female predominance (men/women=45/51). High blood pressure (65.6%) was the most associated risk factor, followed by metabolic syndrome (42.7%), dyslipidemia (36.5%) and diabetes (28.1%). The mean vascular age was 69.2±13.1 years compared with 59.8±12.3 years of vital age, corresponding to a difference of 9.4 years. This mean difference was higher in the younger age group under 60 years (13.1 years) and in women (11.1 years). Before their stroke, the overall high cardiovascular risk (≥20%) of having a cardiovascular event at 10 years in these patients was 26.1% for the WHO abacus versus 53.1% for the Framingham score. Conclusion: The overall high cardiovascular risk of patients with ischemic heart disease was very high before their stroke. Similarly, the difference between the vascular age and the vital statistics age is significant, reflecting the early arterial aging of these patients.