Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the worldwide leading cause of death, and its incidence is directly linked to cardiovascular risk factors. Identifying these factors is the foundation of treatment. Objective: This work aims to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and then estimate the overall cardiovascular risk of each patient seen in the department for consultation. 
Materials and methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted in the cardiology department of the Kara University Hospital over a period of 30 months from January 1, 2022, to June 30, 2024. It took into account all patients seen in outpatient cardiology consultations who were aged 18 or over, had never previously had a cardiovascular event, and were able to complete the minimum assessment required to evaluate their overall cardiovascular risk. 
Results: The sample consisted of 1,860 patients with an average age of 48.5 years and women’s predominance. The most common socio-professional groups were civil servants (28.1%) and housewives (21.8%). The risk factors identified were: hypertension (51.7%), obesity (20.2%), dyslipidaemia (18.7%), triglyceridaemia (15.3%), sedentary lifestyle (7.6%), diabetes (6.8%), smoking (2.5%) and chronic renal failure (0.4%). The rate of patients with a high cardiovascular risk was 29.9% using the Framingham score and only 9.7% using the WHO score. Using the SCORE tool, the rate of patients with a high cardiovascular risk was higher in men than in women. 
Conclusion: The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is high in our department, led by arterial hypertension. The rate of patients with a high cardiovascular risk remains high, hence the importance of raising awareness of lifestyle and eating habits in order to reduce the prevalence of these risk factors in the population.