DIABETES MELLITUS: THE MOST IMPORTANT CARDIAC RISK

Abstract&nbsp;&nbsp; INTRODUCTION: Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity both in men and women. Risk factor profiles vary in different ethnic groups, in male and female and in different age groups. This study aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular risk factors in young women with AMI, and to compare it with other age and sex groups, in Birjand, south Khorasan.&nbsp;&nbsp; METHODS: This descriptive analytic study evaluated the prevalence of classic CHD risk factors&nbsp; in female patients with acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) aged &le; 56 and compared it with female AMI patients aging more than 56 and also with the male patients with AMI. The study group included 311 consecutive female patients (48 patients &le; 56 and 263 &gt; 56 years old) out of 1112 patients who were hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction in Vali Asr hospital, the referral hospital in the capital of south Khorasan province in eastern Iran, from 2002 to 2006.&nbsp;&nbsp; RESULTS: Diabetes was detected to be the most frequent coronary risk factor in younger women (35.4%). The overall prevalence of diabetes was 22.6% in women with AMI. Women with premature coronary artery disease were found to have a higher prevalence of diabetes compared to older women (35.4% versus 20.1% respectively, P &lt; 0.01). Furthermore, the number of diabetics was significantly higher in women than men (29.2% versus 13.9% respectively, P &lt; 0.001). In addition, number of diabetics was significantly higher in younger women than younger men (age =&lt; 56) (35.4% versus 13.3% respectively, P = 0.03). Hypertension was second most common modifiable risk factor in younger female group and the most common risk factor in older female group. Cigarette smoking was found to be the least common risk factor in the younger female group but the most common, in the younger male. The mean age of female MI patients was only 5.6 years more than male MI patients, which is less than the 10 years delay of MI in females reported in the literature.&nbsp;&nbsp; CONCLUSION: Our findings show a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes in young females compared with both older females and younger males with premature MI. The higher prevalence of DM in young females may be associated with the decreasing difference of mean age between female and male patients with MI. This data may be useful in directing primary and secondary preventive measures.&nbsp;Keywords: Myocardial infarction, Diabetes, Females.&nbsp;</p

Investigating the effect of educational intervention based on the health belief model on beliefs related to the prevention of dyslipidemia in women

Background and Objective: Dyslipidemia is one of the most common modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. One of the most important strategies for controlling dyslipidemia is improving lifestyle. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of educational intervention on beliefs related to the prevention of dyslipidemia in women. Materials and Methods: The current study is a semi-experimental type that was conducted on 80 women who referred to comprehensive health service centers in Tabas city. Sampling was done in several stages. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire that was completed before and one month after the intervention. The educational intervention based on the health belief model included two group training sessions and presentation of an educational booklet. Data was collected based on SPSS software version 21 and analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistical tests. The significance level of the tests was considered less than 0. 05. Results: The average score of perceived intensity in the test group after the intervention has increased significantly compared to the control group and the average score has increased from 12.45 to 13.13(p=0.003). The average score of perceived barriers in the test group has also decreased from 29.62 to 27.44(p=0/011). The average perceived self-efficacy score in the test group increased from 30.18 to 32.16, which was a significant increase compared to the control group(p=0/019). Conclusion: Considering the effect of the intervention on improving some constructs such as perceived severity, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, it can be concluded that the educational intervention based on the health belief model can be effective in promoting beliefs related to preventive behaviors of dyslipidemia