Clinical and Biochemical Characteristics of Patients with Coronary Heart Disease in Baghdad, Iraq

Introduction: Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study described selected clinical and biochemical characteristics of adults with established CHD receiving specialist care in Baghdad, Iraq. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study included 100 adults with cardiologist-confirmed CHD who attended Ibn Al-Baytar Centre for Heart Surgery between February and June 2025. Sociodemographic and clinical information was obtained from a structured questionnaire and medical records. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer, cardiac troponin and blood pressure were summarised descriptively, including sex-stratified categorical distributions. Results: Fifty participants were male and 50 female; 80% were aged 50–100 years. Family history of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and obesity were reported in 63%, 57%, 47% and 27%, respectively. Lipid-lowering, antihypertensive and antidiabetic treatments were documented in 70%, 53% and 47%. Mean total cholesterol was 232.4 ± 41.6 mg/dL, triglycerides 198.7 ± 52.3 mg/dL, glucose 176.2 ± 48.9 mg/dL, CRP 8.6 ± 3.4 mg/L, D-dimer 612.5 ± 210.7 ng/mL, troponin 0.041 ± 0.018 ng/mL and systolic blood pressure 146.8 ± 18.5 mmHg. Conclusion: The study describes a substantial burden of cardiovascular risk factors and abnormal biomarker measurements among patients with established CHD. Because there was no independent comparison group and no measure of disease severity or follow-up outcome, the findings do not establish diagnostic performance, causality or incremental prognostic value.