Patterns of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Achieving Cardiovascular Risk Management Goals in Outpatients with Type 2 Diabetes at Friendship Hospital

Abstract

Background: The present study was conducted at Friendship Hospital to investigate the characteristics of cardiovascular risk and the proportion of outpatients with type 2 diabetes who achieve recommended targets for cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study focused on outpatients with type 2 diabetes, aged 18 to 75 years, attending Friendship Hospital. A stratified random sampling procedure was employed within each clinical department to determine the requisite sample size. Results: The study comprised 407 patients, with a median age of 70 years and a male-to-female ratio of 2.9. A significant proportion of patients (30.5%) presented with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardiovascular risk stratification revealed that the majority of participants (87.2%) fell into the very high cardiovascular risk category, with no individuals classified as medium or low risk. The percentages of patients achieving targets for HbA1c, blood pressure, and blood lipid levels were 73.7%, 72.5%, and 17.7%, respectively. Furthermore, only 10.8% of patients met all three treatment targets (HbA1c, blood pressure, and LDL-C). Conclusion: Outpatients with type 2 diabetes at Friendship Hospital exhibited a high to very high cardiovascular risk; however, their cardiovascular risk factors were not managed concurrently. There is an urgent need to implement a comprehensive strategy to address cardiovascular risk factors in this high-risk patient population

Keywords: Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors, target values, outpatient.