Internationale Zeitschrift für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung

Risk Evaluation of Cardiovascular Diseases among Nurses Aged more than 40 Years: Report from a Tertiary Care Center in North India

Harsimran K1, Pawanjot K1, Savita R1, Mankaranjeet K1, Anusha V1, Manpreet K1, Rupinder K1, Kavita1, Gopichandran L2, Dhandapani M1*, Thakur JS3

Background: The nurses are in the frontline of health services in any country and their contribution to healthcare is immense. Nurses undergo moderate to a high level of stress and burn out due to their hectic work schedule, shift duties, workload and sleep deficit. Hence, nurses are at risk of being the victims of various risk factors of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). Objectives: To investigate the risk factors of cardiovascular disease and risk prediction of CVD in the next ten years among nurses aged more than 40 years working in a tertiary care center, North India. Methods: Using a convenient sampling technique, a crosssectional study was conducted among 154 Nursing Officers working in a tertiary care center, North India. The nurses were enrolled after obtaining informed written consent. Ethical permission was taken from the Institute Ethics Committee. World Health Organisation/ International Society of Hypertension (WHO/ISH) prediction chart was used to predict the 10-year risk of a CVD. Results: The prevalent risk factors of CVD seen in nurses were obesity, high waist-hip ratio, stress, and abnormal lipid profile. The risk of developing CVD in the next ten years was less than 10% in 83% of nurses. More than 40% risk of developing CVD in the next ten years was found only in 3%, and risk between 10 and 30% was found in approximately 14% of the nurses. It was found that a significantly higher number of nurses who had a higher risk of developing CVD in the next ten years had abnormally lower High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, higher Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and high triglyceride levels. Conclusion: The prevalent risk factors of CVD identified among nurses were obesity, increased waist-hip ratio, and abnormal lipid profile. High risk of developing CVD among nurses in the next ten years was found to be low. But, considering the moderate risk of developing CVD and high prevalence of risk factors, nurses need to take passable measures to control their risk factors targeting for long-term prevention of CVD.