Introduction and objective:
Despite the enormous advances in cardiology made in recent decades, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) remains one of the most important health problems in highly developed countries, including Poland. An attempt was made to identify the most common risk factors for IHD based on the analysis of medical records of patients hospitalized due to the symptomatic coronary artery disease to intensify the preventive measures in the Lublin Province.

Material and methods:
All males aged 45–65 hospitalized in the Cardiology Ward with the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński Hospital in Lublin in the period from 1 January 2016 – 10 March 2017 due to symptomatic stable angina or acute coronary syndrome were qualified for the study. The studygroup included 142 patients. Based on medical records, the prevalence of modifiable risk factors for IHD was determined. The obtained data were statistically analysed.

Results:
The presence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors was common, and the most frequently diagnosed were: dyslipidemia and arterial hypertension. A positive correlation was found between an increase in body mass index, and the diagnosis of diabetes (p<0.001) and arterial hypertension (p=0.003). In patients without history of IHD, acute coronary syndromes were diagnosed significantly more often than stable angina (p <0.001).

Conclusions:
The obtained results indicate that due to the prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, efforts should be made to intensify primary and secondary prevention programmes. Special measures should be aimed at the proper treatment of hypertension and dyslipidemia, and the struggle against obesity should also be a priority. One of the key aspects of preventive actions should be intensive education on the methods of prevention and early elimination of the existing threats.