Cardiovascular Diseases & Diagnosis

Cardiac Abnormalities in an Agricultural Industry Population in Northern Cameroon

Abstract

Hamadou Ba, Danwe Dieudonné, Nganou-Gnindjio Chris-Nadège, Siddiki Ramatou, Gamarko Sossal Ousmane, Oumarou Moussa, Souleymanou Yaya and Kamdem Félicité

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are a public health problem worldwide and particularly in developing countries where they affect people in their most productive years. This study aimed to describe cardiovascular risk factors and cardiac abnormalities in a group of agricultural industry workers in North Cameroon.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study. We analyzed the data of 1412 workers of an agricultural industry, screened in 2022 and 2023. We collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, glycaemia, lipid profile, electrocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography. Electrocardiographic abnormalities included any arrhythmia, heart block or hypertrophy while echocardiographic abnormalities included any dilatation or hypertrophy of a heart ventricle, left ventricular ejection fraction less than 50%, abnormal mitral inflow pattern, mitral and aortic valvulopathy and aortic dilatation. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to assess the association between electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities and cardiovascular risk factors.

Results: The majority of the participants were men (94%) and had a mean age of 45 ± 9 years. Men were older and had higher blood pressures than women. There was no difference in the mean glycaemia and lipid profile parameters. The three most frequent cardiovascular risk factors were hypertension (55.7%), dyslipidemia (32.4) and diabetes (21.8). Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities were present in respectively 31.6% and 31.4% of the participants. They were associated with age ≥ 45 years, hypertension, dyslipidemia, low physical activity and tobacco smoking.

Conclusions: Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities are frequent in agricultural industry workers in Northern Cameroon and are significantly associated with cardiovascular risk factors.

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