Investigation of cardiovascular risks and risk scoring in 45-years and older adolescents applying to family medicine outpatient clinic

Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and the risk of cardiovascular events by calculating Turkish Society of Cardiology (TSC) risk value which is based on SCORE risk value and Framingham risk scoring in patients aged 45 years and older who applied to Akdeniz University Medical Faculty Hospital. Method: Our study was conducted between January and April 2018 in Akdeniz University Family Medicine outpatients who are 45 years of age and older people who do not have cardiovascular disease. A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and to determine the cardiovascular risk status of patients at the age of 45 years and older. A total of 156 patients who were admitted to these outpatient clinics and who had been evaluated for fasting blood glucose, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels in the last one year and who gave consent for participation in the study were included in the study. In this study, 'Cardiovascular Risk Scoring in 45-Years and Older Adolescents Applying to Akdeniz University Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic Questionnaire' was used. Blood pressure, height and weight of the patients were measured and body-mass indexes were calculated. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 22 program. When analyzing data, mean and standard deviation were used in descriptive analysis. Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman correlation analysis were used for the analysis of categorical data. P <0.05 was considered significant. Result: Our study was carried out with 156 participants aged 45 years or older. Fifty five point one percent of the participants were female and 44.9% were male. Twenty five point six percent of the participants are between the ages of 55-59. Fifty seven point one percent of the participants did not smoke at all, 69.2% did not drink any alcohol. The blood pressure of 50.3% of the participants who measured blood pressure in the last one year was considered to be high, 34.9% of the patients who measured the fasting glucose level in the last one year was evaluated as high, 50% of the patients who measured the cholesterol value in the last one year were evaluated as high cholesterol. Of the participants, 28.8% measured blood pressure were below 120/80 mmHg. The mean total cholesterol values of the participants were 215,3 (min: 94,0-max: 340,0) mg/dl. The HDL cholesterol values of 28.2% of the participants were found in the range of 35-44 mg/dl. The LDL cholesterol values of 26.9% of the participants were in the range of 100-129 mg/dl. The mean triglyceride value of the participants was found as 163.9 (min: 42-max: 604) mg/dl. The mean fasting blood glucose values of the participants were 107 (min: 75-max: 288) mg/dl. The mean body mass index of the participants was 29.8 (min: 19.5-max: 50.6). The mean TSC risk value of the patients was 17.35%. Thirty three point three percent of the participants were found to be at high risk (> 20%) according to the TSC risk score. The mean SCORE risk value of the participants was 3.1%. Nineteen point nine percent of the participants were found to be high and very high risk according to SCORE risk score (> 5%). Conclusion: In this study, the cardiovascular risk factors of the participants were determined and SCORE and TSC risk scores were measured according to the measurements and evaluations and the effects of various parameters on these scores were compared. In our society, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease is quite high in individuals 45 years and older. In terms of primary prevention, smoking cessation, blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and diabetes control, healthy diet and regular physical activity from a young age, and avoidance of psychosocial stress are very important. For the early diagnosis and treatment of major risk factors of cardiovascular disease, screening is especially useful for individuals aged 45 years and over. Cardiovascular risk assessment scales such as SCORE and TSC can be used for this purpose. Patients can be informed about cardiovascular risks and their awareness may be increased. Key Words: Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors, SCORE Risk Score, TSC Risk Assessment