Risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) in Lebanese-Armenian women.

ABSTRACT

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death among women over 50 years of age. Preventive measures through lifestyle modification and management of CAD risk factors have contributed to a decrease in mortality from heart disease. The purpose of this article is to assess risk factors for CAD among the population of Lebanese-Armenian women, so that appropriate intervention strategies for risk reduction could be planned and implemented. A descriptive study to explore risk factors for CAD was conducted in a convenience sample of 83 women who attended a series of panel discussions about risk factors for CAD. Data collection was done using structured interviews and clinical/laboratory studies. Analysis of data was done using frequency distributions. The results indicated that a significant proportion of the sample manifested risk factors for CAD including age, menopausal status, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, high levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), and being overweight. In addition, hypertension was associated positively with age, total cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride levels, lack of physical activity, propensity to anger, and family history of hypertension. The findings suggest the need for further research and health risk reduction programs.