Characteristics of Patients Attending a Cardiology Outpatient Clinic: A Focus on the Turkish Healthcare System

Background and Aim: This study aimed to characterize the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients and to shed light on the Turkish healthcare system. Materials and Methods: A total of 580 consecutive patients were enrolled in this study. The patient demographic and clinical characteristics and complaints were recorded. Blood samples were taken from the antecubital vein after an overnight fast. Results: The mean age of the study population was 56.20±15.35 years, 321 (55.3%) of whom were female, 24.8% of whom had diabetes, 55.5% of whom had hypertension, 35.4% of whom had hyperlipidemia, and 24.6% of whom had coronary artery disease (CAD). The major complaints of the patients were chest pain (157, 27.1%), control of their chronic diseases (114, 19.4), prescription of drugs (101, 17.4%), palpitation (63, 10.9%), high blood pressure (46, 7.9%), dyspnea (35, 6.0%), and other complaints (21, 3.6%). Four (0.7%) patients had no complaints, and 39 (6.7%) patients were referred from other clinics for cardiological examination. Compared with men, women more often presented to the cardiology outpatient clinic with complaints of palpitations, whereas men more often presented to the clinic for prescription of drugs. Men had a greater incidence of hyperlipidemia, CAD, and peripheral arterial disease; higher levels of glucose and creatinine; and lower total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. Conclusion: Most patients went directly to outpatient clinics without visiting primary or secondary health centers.