QJM Advance Access originally published online on January 7, 2009
QJM 2009 102(3):209-215; doi:10.1093/qjmed/hcn175
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Classical cardiovascular risk factors and all-cause mortality in rural Cameroon
From the 1The Health of Population in Transition (HOPIT) Research Group, Yaounde, Cameroon, and 2The George Institute for International Health, The University of Sydney, Australia
Address correspondence to Dr A.P. Kengne, The George Institute for International Health, Level 10, KGV Building, Missenden Road, Camperdown 2050 NSW, Australia. email: apkengne{at}yahoo.com; akengne{at}george.org.au
Received 9 October 2008 and in revised form 11 December 2008
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Abstract |
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Background: High levels of cardiovascular risk factors have been reported in rural Africa. How these translate into major outcomes remain unknown.
Aim: To assess the association between selected risk factors and all-cause mortality in rural Cameroon.
Design: Nine-year's prospective cohort study.
Methods: The 9-year's vital status was ascertained for 350 participants screened for cardiovascular risk factors in Bafut, Cameroon in 1998. Cox models were used to compute the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for selected risk factors.
Results: Vital status was available for all participants, except 22 (6.3%) who were excluded from analyses. At baseline, compared with women, men had significantly higher waist-to-hip ratio, were more likely to be ex- or current smokers and alcohol consumers (all P 
0.008). The total duration of follow-up was 2771 person-years. This duration was longer for women (P = 0.04). During follow-up 47 deaths were recorded, 31 (66%) in men (P = 0.023). In multivariate Cox analyses, age, male gender, current smoking, systolic blood pressure and fasting capillary glucose were significant predictors of total mortality during follow-up.
Conclusions: Gender, smoking, fasting capillary glucose, blood pressures and age are potential determinants of overall death in rural Cameroon. More elaborated cohort studies are needed to refine these conclusions and monitor the progression of these populations through epidemiological transition stages.