The Prevalence of Risk Factors of Coronary Artery Disease in the Patients who Underwent Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, Shiraz, Iran: Suggesting a Model

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of 40% of deaths in Iran annually. Many patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery have previous cardiovascular risk factors which could be prevented. OBJECTIVES The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this cross-sectional (descriptive - analytical) study, a data collecting form was used. A total of 246 patients were selected from six hospitals of Shiraz using random stratification. Descriptive statistics were presented through figures and tables and t-test was used to analyze the continuous variables. All the statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS statistical software (version 15.0). Besides, P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS Among the study patients, only 11.67% had no risk factors and 88.33% had one or more risk factors. The most common risk factors observed in the patients were hypertension, obesity and overweight, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus. The results showed a significant difference between males and females regarding the prevalence of hypertension (P = 0.001), diabetes (P = 0.028), hypercholesterolemia (P = 0.020), and cigarette smoking (P = 0.001). In addition, the patients' mean levels of cholesterol, LDL, triglyceride, and fasting blood sugar were higher than the acceptable level, while that of HDL was lower than the accepted level. CONCLUSIONS These patients are recommended to be trained regarding lifestyle changes. Also, prevention strategies can play an important role in reducing patient morbidity and mortality.