Iranian patients with coronary artery disease: rural versus urban residents

In Iran, coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality. There is less information on urban–rural difference in CAD in Iran. Between June 2010 and December 2011 a total of 288 patients (186 urban and 102 rural) with angiography-approved CAD were sequentially recruited in the main heart hospital in Rasht, northern Iran. Data on age, living areas, educational levels, blood lipids, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, cigarette smoking and current drug therapy were collected. In the rural men the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and smoking was lower than the urban men and the prevalence of other risk factors was not different. In the rural women the prevalence of overweight/obesity and waist circumference was lower than the urban women and the distributions of other measured risk factors were the same. This study showed that Iranian urban and rural women were not behind men regarding age for developing CAD. Keywords Coronary artery disease � Developin