Sociodemographic, Lifestyle And Clinical Predictors Of Coronary Artery Disease In A Cross- Sectional Epidemiological Study

Abstract

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with increasing prevalence in low, middle-income countries, including India. Epidemiological factors such as age, gender, lifestyle habits, socioeconomic status, comorbidities significantly influence CAD risk and outcomes.

Aim: To investigate the association of epidemiological factors among patients with CAD and healthy controls.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Visakhapatnam city using Star Pinnacle Heart Centre hospital records of angiographically confirmed CAD patients (n=200) and age, sex matched controls (n=200). Sociodemographic variables (age, gender, religion, area of living, education, occupation, and socioeconomic status), lifestyle factors (smoking, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, physical activity, sleep, stress level), family history, comorbidities, symptoms were recorded and analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 20 with chi-square, odds ratio applied to determine significance (p < 0.05 considered significant).

Results: Among the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, all parameters except gender showed a highly significant association with the study population. Regarding lifestyle habits, all parameters were statistically highly significant. In terms of physical activity, all parameters except running were statistically insignificant. Sleep duration showed a statistically significant association with the study population, whereas stress level was found to be highly significant. Among comorbidities, all parameters except obesity were statistically highly significant. With respect to symptoms in CAD patients, all parameters except chest pain were statistically insignificant.

Conclusions: Epidemiological factors play a pivotal role in the development of CAD. Identifying high-risk groups through sociodemographic, lifestyle characteristics may help in targeted prevention and early intervention strategies.