Medications and lifestyles of patients with cardiovascular risk factors and/or disease in Turkish patients (medlife-tr)

Abstract

Background and Aim: Lifestyles and behavoiral patterns of patients must be known to improve public health and to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In this study, we aimed to provide insights into the lifestyles and behavioral patterns of patients applied to outpatient cardiology clinics in Turkey. Materials and Methods: The participants completed a self-administered questionnaire about awareness of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and individual CV risk levels, lifestyles, and medications. Results: A total of 2793 patients, 52.1% of females with a mean age of 57.0 ± 14.0 years were included. The most common risk factor was hypertension. The most common CVD was coronary artery disease. The calculated CV risk level of 1041 patients (37.3%) was high, while only 20.4% of all participants identified themselves as high risk. Participants were aware that hypertension, smoking, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, sedentary, family history, and aging were risk factors for CVD. About 44% of the patients reported that they used additional salt and the majority reported that they did not consume fast food. The most commonly prescribed CV drug was beta-blockers (44.9%) and 22.4% of patients were taking minimum of 5 drugs daily. Conclusion: The awareness of CV risk factors and risk levels is low in the study population. Guideline recommended medications and lifestyle changes are not sufficiently implemented.