Cardiovascular Risk Factor Burden in the United Arab Emirates (UAE): The Africa Middle East (AfME) Cardiovascular Epidemiological (ACE) Study Sub-analysis

Abstract

Background: T he Africa Middle East (AfME) Cardiovascular Epidemiological (ACE) study demonstrated that cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent among relatively young adult outpatients attending general practice clinics across AfME regions. Objective: Based on the broader AfME estimates from the ACE Study, this sub-analysis evaluated the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), particularly in rural and urban cohorts attending general practice clinics. Methods: 50km from urban centers, or lack of transportation. Results: In this cohort of 495 patients (aged 45.1 years; 49.8% female) from the UAE, a high prevalence of abdominal obesity (71.5%) and dyslipidemia (74.0%) was found. Nearly half of patients had hypertension (43.0%) and one-third diabetes (32.4%). Nearly all outpatients (92.9%) had ≥1 modifiable risk factor (74.9% had ≥1, 59.7% had ≥3). Observations were similar by gender, and across urban and rural centers. Many outpatients with pre-existing hypertension or dyslipidemia did not meet recognized blood pressure or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goals. Conclusions: Cardiovascular risk factors are prevalent among relatively young adult, clinically stable outpatients attending outpatient clinics across the UAE. These findings support targeted screening of outpatients visiting a general practitioner, which may provide opportunity for early discovery and ongoing management of risk factors, including recommending lifestyle changes. The ACE trial is registered under NCT01243138.