Control of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the Semi-Urban Population of Guéoul in Senegal

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is a global public health problem. In Africa, they are increasingly common, however, data on the control of cardiovascular risk factors in the general Senegalese population are rare. The aim of this work was to assess the level of control of cardiovascular risk factors in semi-urban areas in the municipality of Guéoul in Senegal. Patients and methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive and exhaustive survey carried out from 3 November to 3 December 2012 among the population aged at least 35 years and living for more than 6 months in the commune of Gueoul. It was conducted using the WHO STEPS approach to study the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and assess their level of control. We looked at clinical history, lifestyle, and anthropometric data. Blood pressure was measured at both arms and fasting blood samples were taken for blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides. Results: We examined 1.411 subjects (1052 women) averaging 48.5 ± 12.7 years of age. The main cardiovascular risk factors were dyslipidemia (61%), sedentary (56%), abdominal obesity (53.9%), high blood pressure (46.4%) and diabetes (7.2%). Dyslipidemia was known in 22 subjects, 6 of whom were on treatment with dyslipidemia control in 1 subject (16.7%). Hypertension was known in 266 subjects. Of these, 205 subjects were prescribed medical treatment, 26 of whom were well controlled (12.7%). The level of hypertension control was lower in subjects at high cardiovascular risk (p = 0.0001) and those with a family history of hypertension (p = 0.001). The male gender (p = 0.24), the short duration of progression of hypertension (p = 0.95) and the noncompliance of the diet (p = 0.176) were not significantly associated with poor control of hypertension. In diabetics, subjects on oral antidiabetic drugs had met fasting glucose targets in 65.5% of cases according to the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association and in 58.6% according to those of the International Diabetes Federation (p = 0.0001). Age, regular physical activity and insulin treatment were not significantly related to fasting blood sugar control. Conclusion: Our study found inadequate control and high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the general Senegalese population. This situation could be a cause of aggravation of cardiovascular diseases in Senegal and should promote to improve their management.