Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiogram at a Tertiary Level Hospital in Nepal

Background: Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of CVD health loss globally, as well as in each world region, followed by stroke.  In Nepal, CVD was found to be the second most common non-communicable disease among indoor patients of the non-specialist hospital. Age, gender, smoking, obesity, dyslipidemia, physical inactivity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus (DM) are established risk factors for CVD.  In Nepal, hypertension is found to be the most prevalent risk factor for CVD. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to assess risk factors for coronary artery disease in patients undergoing coronary angiograms in Nepal. This study also investigated the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants and the nature of the involvement of coronary arteries. Materials and Methods: We examined in this cross-sectional study a total of 74 patients who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) at National Medical College between May 2020 and June 2021. Patients were grouped according to the number of major epicardial coronary arteries involved in SVD, DVD, and TVD. Patients were checked for risk factors like smoking, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, family history of coronary artery disease, and obesity. Microsoft Office Excel and SPSS version 21.0 were used for data analysis. The study was approved by the ethical committee. Results: Among 74 participants 53 were male. The mean age was 59.65±10.74 years. Premature coronary artery disease was present in six patients. SVD was the commonest CAD type. Hypertension was the commonest risk factor followed by Diabetes mellitus. Hypertension, Diabetes mellitus, Family history of premature CAD, and obesity were found to be statistically significant. Keywords: CAD, Risk factors for CAD, Premature CAD, Hypertension, Diabetes, obesity, family history of CAD, dyslipidemia, Smoking, SVD, DVD, TVD, Nepal