Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and 10-Years Risk for Coronary Heart Disease in the United Arab Emirates

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 beta-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.

Automated summary

Based on the analysis of survey data in Abu Dhabi, it was found that the proportion of modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases is high in the population. The majority of people have one or more risk factors and a higher 10-year risk for coronary heart diseases.