Management of Coronary Artery Disease in Jordan: Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

Patients with Coronary Artery Diseases (CAD) are at the top priority for preventive cardiology, since secondary prevention markedly reduces cardiovascular mortality. This study aims to determine how many of Jordanian CAD patients have reached the treatment targets of their cardiovascular risk factors, and to compare our data with internationally published studies. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between December 2003 and April 2004 in randomly selected outpatient clinics where patients with CAD were treated. One hundred and twenty physicians participated (67.8% response rate), and 262 CAD patients were included in this study. The study revealed high prevalence of smoking (22.1%), overweight (51%), obesity (29.7%) and physical inactivity (51%) among Jordanian patients with CAD. The adverse lifestyle trends and the finding that the majority of patients did not achieve their blood pressure (73.8%), cholesterol (71.6%) and fasting plasma glucose (62%) targets are causes of concern. Patients’ gender was the major factor influencing the outcomes of this study. This treatment gap compares well with the international studies conducted in United States, Europe, and Australia