Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In Nigeria, the burden of diabetes-related cardiovascular disease is rising, yet data on the prevalence and clustering of cardiovascular risk factors remain limited. The study objective is to determine the prevalence and clustering of major cardiovascular risk factors among adults with T2DM in Northwestern Nigeria. Methodology: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 396 adults with T2DM at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, to assess hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obesity, proteinuria, and renal function. Results: The mean age was 53.3 ± 11.3 years, and 49.2% were male. Dyslipidaemia (80.1%), hypertension (69.7%), and truncal obesity (61.9%) predominated. General obesity occurred in 32.6%, proteinuria in 26.3%, and reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate in 33.1%. Women had higher prevalences of hypertension, truncal obesity, and metabolic syndrome, whereas dyslipidaemia was more common in men. Renal abnormalities increased with age. High-risk clustering (≥4 factors) occurred in 64.7% of women and 40.0% of men. Truncal obesity predicted high-risk clustering, while older age and longer diabetes duration predicted reduced renal function. Conclusions: Cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent and clustered among adults with T2DM in Northwestern Nigeria. Truncal obesity is a key driver of clustering, underscoring the need for integrated cardiovascular risk assessment and targeted interventions.
Bello-Ovosi et al. (2026) studied this question.