Assessment of lifestyle risk factors among cardiovascular disease patients attending Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Tanzania

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master’s in Life Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and TechnologyCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been the leading causes of hospital admissions in Tanzania. Hypertension (HTN) and coronary artery diseases (CHD) are two most common CVDs frequently diagnosed causes of deaths in Tanzanian hospitals. This hospital basedcross-sectional study conducted to assess lifestyle risk factors and levels of biomarkers for CVDs in patients with HTN and CHD attending cardiac clinic at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre-referral hospital. Structured questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle risk factors, while anthropometric measurements were taken to assess nutritional status of patients. Blood samples were collected from each patient and analyzed by Cobas Integra and Maglumi analyzers, to detect and quantify concentration of biomarkers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze socio-demographic, lifestyle risk factors and studied biomarkers for CVDs. Pearson’s Chi-Square (χ 2 ) tests were used to associate risk factors for HTN and CHD while multinomial logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors of HTN and CHD. Majority of the patients (65%) were diagnosed with HTN, and 35% with CHD. The most prevalent risk factors for HTN and CHD were: alcohol intake (67%), high blood pressure (59%), physical inactivity (61%), obesity (39%), alanine aminotransferase (43%), high-density lipoprotein (79%), low-density lipoprotein (65%), C-reactive protein (78%), sodium (41%) and potassium (40%). Moreover, age (p = 0.007, CI = 0.047-0.612), plasma glucose (p = 0.016, CI = 0.62-0.76), alanine aminotransferase (p = 0.035, CI = 0.12-0.93), and C-reactive protein (p = 0.018, CI = 0.080.79) were independently associated with HTN and CHD. The study affirmed higher exposure of patients to CVDs risk factors despite them being under medical management. The results herein call for sensitization programs, to include more interventions, such as health and nutrition education to raise patients’ awareness on lifestyle modifications