Prevalence of Major Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Adults in Albania

Background Approximately 80 % of cardiovascular disease (CVD) can be explained by smoking, hypertension, and deterioration of lipid and glucose metabolism. The aim of this study is to determine the spread of cardiovascular risk factors in a sample from the Albanian population. Methodology 632 persons were randomly selected consisting of 443 females and 189 males. The inclusion criteria were males and females above 18 years old. The selection was random, one person per house, stratified by address, gender and age group. We registered the conventional risk factors for coronary heart disease such as smoking, alcohol, hypertension, diabetes mellitus etc. as well as sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Results 632 persons were included in this survey, consisting of 189 (29.9 %) males and 443 (70.1 %) females. The average age in males was 43.9015.57 years old, whereas in females it was 38.5412.51. The prevalence of hypertension in this population is16.10 %, and males have slightly higher prevalence than females but without a statistically significant difference, 20.4 % vs.14.2 % respectively (p=0.015). The prevalence of smoking was 20.3 %, and males smoke more than women, 33.5 % vs.14.7 % respectively (pless than0.001). About 46.1 % of males and 39.9 % of females have high cholesterol - 200 mg/dL (p=0.231) and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 4.6 %, being higher in males than in females, 9.1 % vs 2.7 % respectively (p=0.001). Conclusion There is a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in our population. Thus, a considerable percentage of the Albanian population has a high risk for future cardiovascular events.