Self-perceived heart disease risk assessment in patients with hypertension

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): The University of Adelaide supported fieldwork Introduction Heart disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The risk of heart disease is significantly high among patients with hypertension. However, patients’ poor understanding of their risk even further intensifies the risk of heart disease. Therefore it is crucial to improve patients’ understanding of their lifetime risk and applying a healthy lifestyle, to reduce the risk of heart disease. Purpose The aim of this study was to explore self-perceived heart disease risk and knowledge of heart disease risk factors in patients with hypertension. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of hypertension who attended follow up care clinics at two referral hospitals in eastern Ethiopia. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using two validated instruments (ABCD risk questionnaire for assessment of self-perceived risk and heart disease fact questionnaire for assessment of knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25, and descriptive and correlation analysis were conducted. Results A total of 203 patients were included in the study, 60% of them were females, and the mean age was 50 ± 9 years. The majority 143 (70.4%) perceived their future heart disease risk as low, however 60 (29.6%) perceived their future chance of developing heart disease as moderate. The mean heart disease risk factors knowledge score was 72.3 + 13.7, and more than half (57%) had optimal knowledge of heart disease risk factors (scored ≥70%), whereas, the remaining 43% had sub-optimal knowledge. Moreover, there is a statistically significant positive association between self-perceived heart disease risk and knowledge of heart disease risk factors (r = 0.28, p= 0.00). Conclusion Despite being at high risk, many patients with hypertension underestimate the chance of developing heart disease in their lifetime. Implementation of interventions to promote healthy lifestyle behaviour is crucial to prevent heart disease risk as well as to improve patient’s understanding of these risks.