Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in Punjab, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

The purpose of the present study was to measure the frequency of CVDs and some of the risk factors and to familiarize people with information on the high rates of mortality and morbidity due to CVDs in the studied areas of Punjab, Pakistan. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of sudden death. CVDs are a major health problem in Pakistan, and the number of patients is increasing daily. The purpose of the present study was to measure the frequency of CVDs and some of the risk factors and to familiarize people with information on the high rates of mortality and morbidity due to CVDs in the studied areas of Punjab, Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in the local population of 53 cities in Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 6351 individuals were contacted to collect data using a questionnaire from October 2014 to September 2015. Data were collected directly by meeting the participants or indirectly through relatives and friends. Of the participants, 49.2% (3127/6351) were male and 50.8% (3224/6351) female. The data showed that 17.5% (1109/6351) of the population had CVDs with 16.6% (519/3127) being male and 18.3% (590/3224) female. This study concluded that CVDs are a serious problem for both genders and affected 17.5% of the studied population. Diseases are more common in females than males with young age of onset. An inactive lifestyle, low level of activity and family history of disease could be disease risk factors in the study area.