Abstract
BACKGROUND: Handling the growing epidemic of coronary heart disease in developing nations hinges on primary prevention, which logistically requires directing preventive interventions to those at the highest risk. Therefore, implementing cardiovascular risk assessment profiles is crucial to distinguish high risk groups who truly need extensive preventive measures. We aimed to draw a picture of the cardiovascular risk profiles in the Iranian adult population for the first time. METHODS: Demographic, anthropometric, and laboratory data as well as blood pressure and smoking status of 3944 subjects participating in the 2011 national surveillance of risk factors for non-communicable diseases were used to calculate the mean estimated risk of coronary artery disease and the relative frequency of low-, medium- and high-risk subjects based on FRS and SCORE indices in general population as well as different age, sex, and residence subgroups. RESULTS: The average 10-year risk of coronary artery disease (FRS) and 10-year risk of fatal coronary and cerebrovascular accidents (SCORE) in the 25 to 64 year-old population was 13.82 and 0.72 respectively. The relative frequency of the intermediate- and high- risk subjects was 25.8 and 22.6% based on FRS and 9.2 and 1.8% based on SCORE respectively. Average FRS and SCORE were significantly higher among men than women, but were not significantly different among urban and rural residents. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of the Iranian population, based on FRS model, will be at moderate to high risk of coronary events in the next 10 years. Urgent preventive plans are needed at the national level.