title: Prevalence of selected cardiometabolic risk factors among adults in urban and semi-urban hospitals in four sub-Saharan African countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a global challenge but the burden in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries is less well documented than elsewhere. We aimed to describe the key cardiometabolic risk factors in four SSA countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, multi-national, hospital-based study was carried out among adults (> 35 years) across four SSA countries from 12 December 2011 to 7 February 2013. Risk factors were defined using the World Health Organisation and International Diabetes Federation guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 844 adults (57.4% female, mean age 52.6 years), 76.6% were urban residents. The predominant CVD risk factors were hypertension (74.1%), obesity (36.2%) and excessive alcohol consumption (25.6%). Diabetes (17.7 vs 10.0%), obesity (42.8 vs 16.8%) and hypercholesterolaemia (25.8 vs 18.0%) were more prevalent among the hypertensive subjects (all p < 0.007) than the normotensives. The metabolic syndrome (39.4%) was more common in women and hypertensive subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hospital patients in SSA countries present with excessive rates of cardiometabolic risk factors. Focus on their prevention and control is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine of Yaounde, General Hospital of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon. Email: samuel_kingue@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kingue
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Joseph Raseta Defelatalala University Hospital, Antananariv, Madagascar.
authors.forename: Solofonirina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rakotoarimanana
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Joseph Raseta Defelatalala University Hospital, Antananariv, Madagascar.
authors.forename: Nirina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rabearivony
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Clinic, Democratic Republic of Congo.
authors.forename: Francois Lepira
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Bompera