Cardiovascular diseases encompass a range of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels, including coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, and peripheral vascular disease.

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases account for approximately 17.9 million deaths annually worldwide.

Many cardiovascular events are preventable through early identification and management of risk factors such as:

• Hypertension
• Diabetes mellitus
• Dyslipidemia
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Physical inactivity
• Unhealthy diet

Primary care serves as the first point of contact within healthcare systems and provides an ideal setting for comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment.

Numerous studies have established that cardiovascular disease develops through the interaction of multiple risk factors.

Widely used cardiovascular risk assessment models include:

• Framingham Risk Score
• SCORE2 Risk Model
• QRISK3 Calculator
• ASCVD Risk Estimator
• WHO Cardiovascular Risk Charts

Research indicates that risk-based prevention is more effective than treating individual risk factors in isolation.

3. Objectives

Primary Objective

To assess cardiovascular risk among adults attending primary healthcare centers.

Secondary Objectives

1. Determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors.
2. Evaluate risk stratification categories.
3. Identify predictors of high cardiovascular risk.
4. Assess lifestyle-related determinants.
5. Recommend preventive interventions.

Study Design

Cross-sectional analytical study.

Study Setting

Ten primary healthcare centers.

Study Duration

January 2025 – December 2025.

Sample Size

1,500 adult participants.

Inclusion Criteria

• Age ≥18 years.
• Attendance at primary care clinics.
• Provision of informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

• Known advanced cardiovascular disease.
• Incomplete clinical records.

5. Data Collection

Demographic Variables

• Age
• Sex
• Educational status
• Occupation

Clinical Assessments

• Blood pressure
• Body mass index (BMI)
• Waist circumference
• Smoking status

Laboratory Investigations

• Fasting blood glucose
• HbA1c
• Total cholesterol
• LDL cholesterol
• HDL cholesterol
• Triglycerides

6. Results

Demographic Characteristics

Table 1. Participant Profile

7. Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Table 2. Major Risk Factors

8. Cardiovascular Risk Stratification

Participants were categorized according to estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk.

Table 3. Risk Categories

9. Clinical Characteristics by Risk Group

Table 4. Mean Clinical Measurements

High-risk individuals demonstrated significantly worse clinical profiles.

10. Lifestyle Determinants

Table 5. Lifestyle Behaviors

11. Predictors of High Cardiovascular Risk

Multivariate analysis identified the following significant predictors:

Table 6. Independent Predictors

Age and hypertension were the strongest predictors of elevated cardiovascular risk.

12. Preventive Opportunities in Primary Care

Primary care settings offer opportunities for:

• Early risk detection
• Lifestyle counseling
• Smoking cessation support
• Weight management
• Blood pressure control
• Lipid management
• Diabetes prevention

This study highlights the significant burden of cardiovascular risk factors among adults attending primary healthcare facilities.

The predominance of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity reflects the growing impact of lifestyle-related diseases globally.

Approximately one-fifth of participants were categorized as high-risk, emphasizing the importance of routine cardiovascular risk assessment in primary care settings.

The findings support previous evidence that integrated risk-based management is more effective than isolated treatment of individual risk factors.

Primary healthcare providers are uniquely positioned to implement preventive interventions that can substantially reduce future cardiovascular disease burden.

14. Recommendations

1. Implement routine cardiovascular risk screening for adults above 30 years.
2. Integrate WHO cardiovascular risk charts into primary care practice.
3. Promote healthy dietary behaviors.
4. Encourage regular physical activity.
5. Strengthen smoking cessation programs.
6. Improve hypertension and diabetes control.
7. Establish community-based cardiovascular prevention initiatives.
8. Utilize digital risk assessment tools for continuous monitoring.

15. Limitations

• Cross-sectional design limits causal inference.
• Self-reported lifestyle behaviors may introduce reporting bias.
• Single-time-point measurements may underestimate risk variability.
• Results may not be generalizable to all populations.

16. Future Research Directions

Future studies should examine:

• Longitudinal cardiovascular outcomes.
• Artificial intelligence-assisted risk prediction.
• Community-based prevention programs.
• Digital health interventions for cardiovascular monitoring.
• Cost-effectiveness of risk screening strategies.

Cardiovascular risk assessment in primary care represents a powerful strategy for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. The high prevalence of modifiable risk factors identified in this study underscores the urgent need for routine screening and targeted preventive interventions. Strengthening primary healthcare systems and integrating comprehensive risk assessment approaches can significantly reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality while improving overall population health.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge all participants, healthcare professionals, and primary healthcare centers involved in the study.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding

No external funding was received for this research.

1. World Health Organization. Cardiovascular Diseases Fact Sheet. 2024.
2. American Heart Association. Cardiovascular Risk Assessment Guidelines. 2024.
3. European Society of Cardiology. Cardiovascular Prevention Guidelines. 2024.
4. D'Agostino RB, Vasan RS, Pencina MJ, et al. General Cardiovascular Risk Profile for Use in Primary Care. Circulation. 2008;117:743–753.
5. Conroy RM, Pyörälä K, Fitzgerald AP, et al. Estimation of Ten-Year Risk of Fatal Cardiovascular Disease. European Heart Journal. 2003;24:987–1003.
6. Yusuf S, Hawken S, Ôunpuu S, et al. Effect of Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors Associated with Myocardial Infarction. Lancet. 2004;364:937–952.
7. Piepoli MF, Hoes AW, Agewall S, et al. European Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention. European Heart Journal. 2021;42:3227–3337.
8. Lloyd-Jones DM, Braun LT, Ndumele CE, et al. Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Strategies. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2022;79:245–267.
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart Disease Prevention Toolkit. 2024.
10. World Heart Federation. Global Cardiovascular Health Report. 2024.