RESEARCH ARTICLE
Assessment of Cardiovascular Disease Risk among Qatari Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Attending Primary Health Care Centers, 2014

The accumulated knowledge on the development of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients due to clustering and synergistic interaction of multiple risk factors leads to the establishment of cardiovascular disease 10-year risk prediction tools. The management of patients based on their total risk prediction is an effective way to reduce disease burden. The behavior of such tools varies based on population and their risk profile.

To estimate the total 10-year cardiovascular disease risk using General Framingham Risk Prediction Score and World Health Organization /International Society for Hypertension (WHO/ISH) Risk Prediction Chart on Qatari diabetic patients.

Cross-sectional design was used. A total of 532 Qatari diabetic patients attending primary healthcare were enrolled. Data were collected using an interview administered questionnaire, anthropometric & blood pressure measurement, and medical records. The total 10-year cardiovascular disease risk was assessed using the WHO/ISH risk prediction chart and Framingham score.

The former categorized (81.6%) of participants as low risk and only (3.8%) as in high and very high risk. While the later categorized (12.2%) of participants as low risk and (57.6%) as in high and very high risk. No agreement between both tools in assessment of cardiovascular disease risk (κ = - 0.019, p-value = 0.216). All risk factors used by both tools illustrated a statistically significant relation with risk categories, except ‘anti-hypertensive medications intake’ in the Framingham score.

Encouraging assessment of patients based on total risk rather than single risk factor and further study of total risk prediction can help to establish a national tool for Qatar.