Objective: to study medical awareness of cardiovascular risk factors (FR) in hospitalized patients of the cardiac and internal medicine units (CU and IMU).
Materials and methods: A total of 100 patients from CU (n=50) and IMU (n=50) of a Moscow city hospital were included into the survey. The patients were interviewed during the I-II days of hospital stay. A special questionnaire was developed including socio-demographic and clinical indicators, open questions on the knowledge of traditional cardiovascular RFs and their target values.
Results: Patients of both units did not differ in gender and age. The survey revealed an extremely low awareness of major cardiovascular RFs of patients in both units: practically none of them indicated as RFs for cardiovascular disease elevated cholesterol (0 and 2 %, respectively, p>0.05) and blood pressure (0 % and 2 %, respectively, p>0.05). The majority of patients in both units (74 and 68 %, respectively, p>0.05) reported only 1-2 RFs. Patients in both units often believed that stress is the main cardiovascular RF (66 % and 50 %, respectively, p>0.05).
Conclusion: The survey revealed a low awareness of cardiovascular RFs in different types of medical patients at time of hospital admission.
Keywords: cardiovascular diseases; medical awareness; prevention of complications; risk factor.