The majority of all deaths attributable to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are in developing countries. There is now a pressing need for developing countries to define and implement preventive interventions for CVDs. We used WHO MONICA Project protocols to measure trends in coronary risk factors in Bushehr Port in the Persian Gulf Healthy Heart Project. Coronary risk factors of 2092 , aged >= 25 years men and women were evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Of the studied population, 97.7% had at least one coronary risk factor, 44.3% of men and 69% of women had at least two coronary risk factors. The high prevalence rates of diabetes mellitus (8.6%), central obesity (59.4%), obesity (26.8%), hypertension (24.5%), smoking (15.7%), physical inactivity (71.1%), hypercholesterolemia (24%) and low HDL-cholesterol (61.5%) showed that coronary risk factors prevail in Bushehr Port. Therefore, preventive strategies should be implemented immediately to avoid cardiovascular epidemic in the near future.

Keywords: cardiovascular diseases, WHO-MONICA Project, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, hypertension

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