Prevalence of Self–awareness About the Relevance of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Background and aims coronary artery disease (CAD) is major cause of death worldwide. Major cardiovascular risk factors are a leading cause of CAD. However, the self–awareness of patients with CAD regarding the prognostic role of those factors remains unknown. Methods consecutive patients with CAD hospitalized at one Italian centre were included. All subjects were asked to solve a questionary regarding their grade of awareness on major cardiovascular risk factors. Results Overall, 302 subjects were included (206 males and 96 females), with a median age of 73 years. Of them, 90% were aware of the risks associated with hypertension, despite only 56% used to consistently check for their tensive values. Notably, monitoring blood pressure was not associated with improved tensive control. The risks associated with diabetes were known to 85% of subjects. Within 70 diabetic subjects, only 33% were aware of their glycaemic status, and half of them could not report their glycated haemoglobin. Hypercholesterolemia was recognized as a major risk factor by the 90% of patients, however only 9% of them knew their LDL values. Eventually, the risks of smoking were known by 95% of subjects, with 11% active smokers. Conclusions the prevalence of self–awareness regarding the cardiovascular impact of major risk factors in patients with CAD is generally high. Nevertheless, this consciousness doesn’t translate into active preventive strategies and behaviours, highlighting the need for dedicated sensibilization campaigns.