Cardiovascular Disease and Its Risk Factors Among Employees of Sindh Government; A Cross Sectional Survey from Karachi, Pakistan

Introduction:  Globally it is documented that CVD has multi-factorial aetiology and many factors like increased BMI, hypertension (HTN), stress and diabetes determine the risk of CVD. The prevalence of risk factors for cardio vascular disease (CVD) is on increase in the developing nations of the world. Objectives: The purpose of the study was   to find out the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among employees of Sindh Government in Karachi, Pakistan.Method: It was hospital based cross sectional study. A total of 150 subjects (govt employees of Sindh Government) were interviewed by using consecutive sampling technique. Data on serum cholesterol, BMI, blood pressure, history of hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases was collected, in addition to demographic data. Results: Out of 150 subjects interviewed, 20.6% reported to have CVD. The most prevalent risk factor was hypertension, found in 58% respondents. Other risk factors were diabetes (45%), sedentary life style (50%), obesity (28%), dyslipidaemia (30%), smoking (20%), positive family history (26%). In 6% of subjects, three major risk factors were present. The risk factors, strongly associated with CVD in our study were diabetes (p<0.01), hypertension (p<0.001) and family history of CVD (p<0.02). There is strong association of increasing age on risk of developing CVD (p< 0.001). Conclusion: The results show that there is high frequency of CVD risk factors in employees of health department in Karachi. The high prevalence of risk factors, especially hypertension, sedentary life style, obesity and diabetes should be of great concern.