Evaluation of Cardiovascular Diseases and Their Risk Factors in Hospitalized Patients in East Azerbaijan Province, Northwest Iran: A Review of 18323 Cases

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is accountable for more than 30% of deaths worldwide and is, thus, deemed the most important factor in terms of disease burden around the globe. This study aimed to evaluate CAD and its risk factors in hospitalized patients in the East Azerbaijan Province, northwest Iran, from 2006 to 2007. METHODS: Data on 18.323 patients hospitalized due to cardiovascular diseases were collected to evaluate the diseases and their risk factors in 15 hospitals in the East Azerbaijan Province, northwest Iran. We assessed the main diagnosis of cardiovascular disease on admission in each hospital. Also, types of interventional and surgical procedures were assessed and all these variables were compared between men and women. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 56.6% male and 43.4% female patients. The median and range between quartile 1 and 3 (Q1–Q3) ages of the males and females were 59 (49–70) and 62 (51–71) years, respectively. Ischemic heart diseases were diagnosed in 68.4%, electrophysiological disorders in 6.5%, and valvular heart diseases in 4.5% of the patients. The frequencies of the studied risk factors were as follows: cigarette smoking (47.5%); hypertension (66.95%); diabetes mellitus (35.9%); and history of cerebrovascular accident (16.4%) and renal disease (13.4%). Medical therapy was performed in 79.23%, surgery in 6.28%, and cardiovascular interventional therapy in 13.99% of the patients. The in-hospital mortality rate was 1.57% (1.42% in the males and 1.76% in the females; p value = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The most frequent known risk factors in the hospitalized patients were smoking, alcohol consumption, and diabetes. In the northwest of Iran, age at hospitalization due to cardiovascular diseases is slightly lower than that in the Western populations; however, sex distribution, diagnoses, and treatment modalities are not significantly different from those reported in Western countries.