Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in rural areas: case of karusi province

Background: There are few Burundian data available on cardiovascular risk factors.
Aim: To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in rural area of Burundi.
Patients and methods: This was a survey carried out during the celebration of World Heart Day at the ʺNatwe Turashoboyeˮ hospital in the province of Karusi. We systematically recorded anyone who came for voluntary assessment of cardiovascular risk factors or cardiovascular disease.
Results: A total of 580 people participated in the survey. High blood pressure was the leading cause with 48.2% of cases (n=280), abdominal obesity with 17.8% (n = 91), diabetes with 9% (n = 48) and tobacco with 7.2% (n = 42). The discovery of high blood pressure was fortuitous in 38.9% of cases. At the time of hypertension’s diagnosis, 38.2% of cases were already at stage II according to the World Health Organization’s classification of hypertension.
Conclusion: The frequency of cardiovascular risk factors was high. These were classic risk factors and the high blood pressure was by far the most common factor. Prevention as well as early diagnosis would be an asset in the fight against cardiovascular diseases in Burundi.