Journal of School of Public Health and

Background and Aim: Coronary artery disease (CAD) and its complications at a low age are more serious and more progressive than at higher age. Because of this difference in the natural history of the disease as a function of age, this study was conducted to compare CAD risk factors between two age groups, namely people below and above 45 years old.

Materials and Methods: Two groups of 200 hospitalized CAD patients each, one below, and one above, 45 years old were selected by simple random sampling between 2005 and 2007. Two groups were similar with regard to dates and duration of hospitalization. The following data were collected from the patients' hospital files and analyzed using SPSS/Win: age, sex and marital status area of residence a history of smoking, diabetes, and hypertension a family history of early-onset cardiovascular disease (CVD) weight and height and lipid profile. The logistic regression test was used to compare the variables between the two groups.

Results: The following variables were found to be positively associated with CAD in the under-45 year group: smoking history (OR=2.54 p=0.009), a history of early-onset CVD (OR=3.15 p=0.009), low high- density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) (OR=5.53 p<0.001), and high blood cholesterol (OR=3.96 p<0.006).

Conclusion: The most important coronary heart disease risk factors at a lower age are smoking, a history of early-onset CVD, low blood HDLc, and high total blood cholesterol.

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the adherence to anti-retroviral prophylaxis after occupational and non-occupational exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in patients consulting the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center (VCT) of Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran during the period 2008 to 2009.

Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, patients were selected, the required information about them was recorded, and adherence to anti-retroviral drugs (including Ziduvudin, Lamivudin and Efavirens) was determined based on self-report by the patients. Eighty-nine exposed patients were followed monthly for 4 months, and in the case of low-adherence (less than 95%) they were asked for the reason(s) for noncompliance.

Results: Of the 89 patients, 55 were men (61.8%) and 34 (38/2%) were women with a mean age of 30.16± 8.39 years 47 participants (52.8%) were single and 42 (47.1%) married 27 subjects (30.3%) were physicians, 35 (39.3%) nurses and 27 (30.3%) had occupations outside the healthcare system. From among the 36 subjects (40.5%) who stopped the treatment, 24 (27.0%) stopped it correctly (that is, when the serological test proved to be negative), while 12 (13.4%) did not stop it on a sound basis. Fifty-three subjects (59.6%) completed the prophylaxis. Adherence was found to be significantly associated with age and marital status (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The main reason for stopping the prophylaxis (a negative serological test result of the resource patient) was more pronounced than previous studies, which indicates the higher availability of the resource patient.