Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease and Risk Factors Among Residents of Tanga City

Abstract

Samwel Jacob Rweyemamu, Tatizo waane, Happy Nchimbi, Kaushik Ramaiya, Andrew Swai and Henry Anselmo Mayala

Cardiovascular diseases are defined as the group of diseases which are affecting the heart and blood vessels. We conducted a cross-sectional community-based study that consecutively enrolled 355 consenting adults who came for a health check at Nguvumali Hospital ground Tanga, in 2018. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain demographic data , gather co-morbid information such as record blood pressure, body weight and BMI. A 12 lead ECG and Transthoracic Echo were done to determine the structural and ischemic heart changes from the participants. Out of 355 participants, 75.6% were male while the female was 24.4%. Furthermore, female participants had more hypertension and diabetes mellitus compared to male (HTN 45% vs. 12.9%) (DM 21% vs. 6%). The study determined that most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease was hypertension in both males (12.9%) and females (45.5%). Few of the participants were smokers, 2% of all males and 1% of females. The study also found that 6% of females were diabetic and most of these females were obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above..