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Abstract

Background: Although a number of risk factors for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality have been identified in young and middle-aged adults, their prevalence and importance are less known in the elderly. In Morocco, elderly people have a risk profile different from that of younger subjects, but representative data on risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the elderly are difficult to find in the literature.Objective: To investigate the prevalence of Cardiovascular risk factors among Moroccan elderly Individuals in the city of El Jadida in Morocco.Methods: Data were collected from a randomized sample of 537 elderly individuals aged ≥ 60 years, surveyed at household level Socioeconomic and demographic data, as well as data on lifestyle, weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and medications used were collected. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, total obesity, central obesity, dyslipidemias, smoking and alcohol consumption were determined. Results:The prevalence of the Cardiovascular risk factors were: 66, 1% for hypertension; 24.2% for general obesity; 25.3% for central obesity; 14.9% for diabetes mellitus; 6.7% for smoking and 10% for alcohol consumption. The population studied showed elevated total cholesterol, total triglycerides and low HDL-C levels among 4%, 12.3% and 16.2% respectively. Obesity and central obesity were more prevalent in women while that of hypertension was higher in men. The simultaneity of two or more cardiovascular risk factors occurred in 54.3% of the elderly and was more frequent among women while 11.4% of the elderly did not have any cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion:The cardiovascular risk factors occur simultaneously in more than half of the elderly individuals, and the most prevalent ones were: hypertension, central and total obesity. It is necessary to foster the strategies of health promotion and prevention of cardiovascular injury in elderly individuals in the city of El Jadida.