Cardiovascular risk factor profile of black Africans undergoing coronary angiography.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a growing epidemic on the African continent. It remains uncertain whether the risk factors identified as contributing to CAD in white populations contribute to a similar extent to CAD incidence in black populations. No data of the local population exists that is based on the coronary angiogram (CA). OBJECTIVES: To analyse the relationship of conventional cardiovascular risk factors with presence of CAD in black Africans. DESIGN: This was a dual-armed study, consisting of retrospective and prospective comparative arms. SUBJECTS: Black Africans who underwent coronary angiography. SETTING: Nairobi Hospital, Cathereterization laboratory. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The conventional risk factors: age, male gender, hypertension, obesity, smoking, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, alcohol use and interventricular septum (IVS) hypertrophy, as a marker of LVH. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty nine patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria; 144 in the retrospective arm and 25 in the prospective. The larger retrospective arm showed that the group with CAD, compared to the normal group, was significantly older, with a higher mean age of 54.4 years compared to 49.8 years (P=0.005); had significantly more males, with a male to female ratio of 5.5:1 compared to 2.3:1 (P=0.045); had a very significantly larger proportion of diabetics (38.5% compared to 12%