PRESENCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN OBESE PATIENTS IN THE IBERICAN STUDY

Objective: The general objectives of IBERICAN are to determine the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular risk factors in Spain, as well as cardiovascular events. The objective of this work is to analyze the presence of cardiovascular disease in obese patients. Design and method: IBERICAN is a longitudinal, observational, and multicenter study in which patients from 18 to 85 years of age are included in Primary Care consultations in Spain, until a sample of 7,000 patients is collected, which will be followed for at least 5 years. The basal characteristics of the fifth cut are presented (n = 6.007). Obesity was defined as the presence of a body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2. Patients were classified in secondary prevention when they presented ischemic heart disease, heart failure, stroke or peripheral arterial disease. Results: The average age of the subjects included in IBERICAN is 57.4 ± 15.5 years, and 54.5% were women. The prevalence of obesity was 35.8%. Obese patients were older (59.9 ± 14.7 years vs. 56.2 ± 15.7 years, p < 0.001) and with a lower percentage of women (52.9% vs. 55.2%, p < 0.001). The prevalence of cardiovascular disease was more frequent in obese patients (19.9% vs 14.6%, p < 0.001). Ischemic heart disease (8.7% vs. 6.3%, p = 0.015) and heart failure (4.4% vs. 2.6%, p = 0.019) were more frequent in obese patients. Stroke (4.1% vs. 3.7%, p = 0.975), peripheral arterial disease (5.8% vs. 4.6%, p = 0.377) and retinopathy (0.6% vs. 0.4%, p = 0.572) did not reach statistically significant differences. Conclusions: The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is higher in obese patients, in particular ischemic heart disease and heart failure, which leads to a higher cardiovascular risk.