Ten Years Risk Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease among Adults in Rural Area of Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD), one of the non-communicable diseases, has become a major public health problem and it is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both developing and developed countries. The important CVD risk factors are obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use. Cardiovascular risk approach is feasible and cost-effective tool, which helps to identify those at high risk for developing CVDs, so that immediate preventive measures or action can be taken to reduce the risk. Objectives: estimate the ten-year risk of developing cardiovascular disease using Framingham heart risk assessment score. Materials and Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among adults residing in a rural area of Dakshina Kannada District for a period of 6 months from July 2013 to December 2013. The data was collected using pretested semi structured questionnaire through interview methods. Anthropometric measurement and blood investigation (fasting blood sugar and lipid profile) was done. The Framingham Risk Score is a gender-specific algorithm used to estimate the 10-year cardiovascular risk of an individual Results: Among 712 study participants, 95 (13.3%) and 20 (2.8%) participants had intermediate and high risk of developing cardiovascular disease in 10 years respectively. The proportion of intermediate CVD risk prediction and high-risk predication was more in males as compared to females. Conclusion: The cardiovascular risk factors like obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes and hypertension are widely prevalent among adults in rural areas. The high-risk prediction for developing CVD among study participants in next 10 years was 2.8%. Keywords: Cardiovascular risk factors, Framingham risk score, 10 years CVD risk prediction, Prevalence