Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Attending Tertiary Care Hospitals

Cardiovascular Risk Profile in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a persistent metabolic illness that significantly enhances the chances of cardiovascular morbidity and death. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, smoking, and inadequate glycemic control are cardiovascular risk factors that are common in patients with diabetes, which increase complications of the disease. Determinants of their prevalence would be essential in formulating preventive and management programs, particularly in tertiary care environments where complex and uncontrolled cases would be commonly found.

Objective: To establish the prevalence and distribution of the most common risk factors in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus when they visit Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex.

Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between June 2024 and April 2025 in the Department of Endocrinology, Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex, Lahore. The number of patients enrolled was 90 adult T2DM patients aged 35 to 70 years, with a convenience sampling. Structured questionnaires and hospital records were used in the collection of demographics, clinical, and biochemical data. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, smoking, and poor glycemic control criteria were identified by the standard ADA 2024. The data were analyzed in SPSS version 26, and the results were in mean, SD, and percentages.

Results: The average age of the participants stood at 54.73/8.56 years old, and the proportion of males and females was 57.8/42.2. The hypertension and dyslipidemia were 72.2 and 71.1, respectively; obesity was 44.4; poor glycemic control (HbA1c >7) was 75.6; and smoking was 27.8, respectively. Clustering of risk factors was frequent- 71.1% of the participants had two or more cardiovascular risk factors, and 21.1% had three or more risk factors at the same time. Females were much more likely to be obese (p = 0.04) and males to smoke (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: T2DM patients had a high prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, with the predominant ones being hypertension, dyslipidemia, and lack of glycemic control. There is a real need to combine screening, risk stratification, and lifestyle modification programs in managing diabetes to avoid the occurrence of cardiovascular complications in the future due to the co-existence of multiple risk factors.