Pattern of coronary arterial lesions amongst Saudi Arabians: a cross-sectional coronary fluoroscopic angiography study.

INTRODUCTION: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cardiovascular disease (CVD) that affects a large population globally. This study aimed at determining coronary arterial lesions (CAL), particularly in terms of age, gender, coronary artery/arteries involved, number of lesions, and dominant coronary artery in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the King Khalid Hospital and Prince Sultan Centre for Health Care in Al-Kharj between January 2017 and March 2018. The patients with CAD lesion/s, fulfilling the inclusion criteria, were recruited from the cardiovascular medicine unit. Demographic information and the location and extent of their CAD lesions were extracted and documented in electronic case report form (eCRF). SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis, and p value ≤ 0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Of the 262 patients, male and female preponderance was 74.8% and 25.2%, respectively. The majority of the patients were adults above the age of 50 (72%). About half of all patients were active smokers (53%). Diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia were recorded in 63%, 53.7% and 25% respectively. The incidence of cardiovascular lesions was documented after coronary angiography; left circumflex artery lesions had the highest incidence (85.3%), followed by left anterior descending artery lesions (82.4%) and right circumflex artery lesions (74.3%). Left main coronary artery lesions had the lowest incidence (10.3%). Most patients (59.6%) had three concomitant lesions, whereas a minority of patients had two (22.8%) and one lesion (17.7%). CONCLUSION: The pattern of CALs is different among the Saudi population as compared to other countries.

Awareness among the general population about lipid profile screening in individuals over 20 years old in Alriyadh, Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: Plasma cholesterol and triglycerides are clinically important because their abnormally high levels are major treatable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness, general knowledge, and attitudes about regular lipid profile screening among adult individuals in Al-Riyadh. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study collected by convenience sampling method. Residents of Riyadh region older than 20 years were targeted through an electronic questionnaire distributed via Twitter and WhatsApp. The study was conducted between November 28, 2016 and December 31, 2016. Study results were analysed using the SPSS system. RESULTS: This study included 1383 participants; 646 (46.7%) were male and 737 (53.3%) female. Of them, 905 (65.4%) did not screen for their lipid profiles, while 478 (34.6%) screened. A visit to a primary health care facility or hospital was the reason for screening of lipid profile in 195 (14.1%) of the participants, whereas 64 (4.6%) of them were ordered by doctors. CONCLUSIONS: More educated participants were found to be more aware of the importance of screening lipid profile. Our results reflect poor awareness among the population regarding the importance of regular screening of lipid profiles. A visit to primary health care or hospital was the most frequent reason for screening of lipid profile. Screening lipid profiles was predominant among males and it was significantly related to the gender, age, and educational level. This shows the strong need in the community for health education about the importance of screening lipid profile at different levels of health care delivery.