Evaluation of cardiovascular risk in adult psychiatric outpatients in Qatar using two risk assessment tools

Abstract EN

Introduction: Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) experience premature death, likely due to increased rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

This study was conducted to estimate the CVD risk in a cohort of individuals with SMI receiving outpatient psychiatric services in Qatar and to assess contributory CVD risk factors.

Methods: This is a retrospective review of the electronic medical records of a cohort of outpatients with SMI attending a mental health clinic in Doha, Qatar.

The CVD risk was estimated using two risk prediction tools: the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) risk calculator and the World Health Organization/ International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) CVD risk prediction charts for the Eastern Mediter- ranean region.

Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the demographic and clinical data.

Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

Results: Of the 346 eligible patients, 28% (n 1⁄4 97) had obtainable data for the estimation of their CVD risk using both tools.

Approximately one-third of the cohort (33%) were classified as high risk using the AHA/ACC risk calculator, and 13.3% were classified as intermediate to high risk using the WHO/ISH CVD risk prediction charts.

Based on the AHA/ACC risk scores, among those with a high CVD risk, almost two-thirds had CVD modifiable risk factors (i.e., smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension).

No statistically significant difference in the CVD risk estimates was observed among individuals with a body mass index of more or lower than 30 kg/m2 ( p 1⁄4 0.815).

Conclusion: Based on the AHA/ACC risk calculator, approximately one-third of the study cohort had high.

CVD risk estimates.

The WHO/ISH CVD risk prediction charts appeared to underestimate CVD risk, particu- larly for those identified as high risk using the AHA/ ACC risk calculator.

A closer alliance between psychiatrists and primary healthcare professionals to control modifiable cardiovascular risk factors among patients with SMI is necessary.