Title:Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and 10-Years Risk for Coronary
Heart Disease in the United Arab Emirates
Volume: 19
Issue: 3
Author(s): Abdulla Shehab*, Sherif Bakir, Hani Sabbour, Asim A. Elnour, Wael Al Mahmeed, Amar M. Salam and Doaa El Kholy
Affiliation:
- Department of Cardiology, Burjeel Royal Hospital, Al-Ain, UAE
Keywords:
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cardiovascular risk factors, coronary artery disease (CAD), 10-years risk for coronary heart diseases (CHDs), prevalence, hypertension.
Abstract:
Background: In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are
the leading cause of mortality, and the incidence of premature coronary heart diseases (CHDs) is
about 10-15 years earlier than that in people of western countries.
Aim: The current cross-sectional study aims to describe the prevalence of CVD risk factors and estimate
the 10-years risk for CHDs in the population of Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Objective: The main objective was to report the 10-years risk for CHD in a sample of the UAE
population.
Methods: We have analyzed the dataset from the Abu Dhabi Screening Program for Cardiovascular
Risk Markers (AD-SALAMA), a population-based cross-sectional survey conducted between
2009 and 2015 (a sample of 1002, 20 to 79 years old without CVDs or diabetes).
Results: 18.0% of our sample have had hypertension (HTN), 26.3% were current smokers, 33%
have had total cholesterol ≥200 mg/dL, 55.0% have had non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL)
levels ≥130 mg/dL, 33.1% have had low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels ≥130
mg/dL, calculated by β-quantification as 112.3 ± 47.1 mg/dL. 66.8% were overweight or obese,
and 46.2% had a sedentary lifestyle. Nearly 85% of our sample has had one or more major cardiovascular
risk factors.
The estimated 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease according to different risk assessment
tools was as follows: 7.1% according to the national cholesterol education program Framingham
risk score (FRAM-ATP), 2.9% according to Pooled Cohort Risk Assessment Equation
(PCRAE) , 1.4% according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment
Panel III (NCEP ATP III), and 1.1% according to Reynolds Risk Score. Despite the fact that
our sample population have had exhibited major risk factors, the above-mentioned international
scoring systems underestimate the 10-year risk of cardiovascular diseases, given the
high prevalence at younger ages.
Conclusion: The proportion of modifiable risk factors has been found to be high in the UAE population,
and the majority of them have had one or more risk factors with a higher 10-years risk for
CHDs.
