Trends in cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic patients in comparison to general population in Iran: findings from National Surveys 2007–2016

To determine levels of change in risk factors for cardiovascular disease among people with and without a previous diagnosis of diabetes from 2007 to 2016 in Iran. Data were obtained from five rounds of the World Health Organization STEPwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS) cross-sectional surveys. Participants were 7665 and 93,733 adults with and without known diabetes, respectively, aged 25–65 years. We used logistic and linear regressions to assess the trends of risk factors. Individuals with known diabetes compared to those without the condition, experienced greater reductions in mean levels of systolic blood pressure (3.0 vs. 0.5 mmHg among women and 3.9 vs. 1.6 mmHg among men), diastolic blood pressure (6.4 vs. 5.11 mmHg in women and 3.3 vs. 1.8 mmHg in men), and non-HDL cholesterol (42.4 vs. 27.2 mg/dL among women and 30.3 vs. 21.0 mg/dL among men) throughout these years. Men with diabetes also showed a greater reduction in the prevalence of daily cigarette smoking compared to their non-diabetic counterparts (7.3% vs. 2.3%). Fasting plasma glucose decreased among subjects with diabetes but increased among those without diabetes. Significant increases were observed in proportions who met goals for blood pressure, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in both groups; however, almost half of diabetic subjects did not achieve risk factor goals in 2016. Secondary prevention in diabetic patients was more effective than primary prevention in the general population; however, the rate of diabetic patients who met the designated goals for each risk factor was still suboptimal.