Prevalence of cardiovascular risk and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes in the United Arab Emirates: Results from the prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes across Middle East and African countries (PACT-MEA) study

Abstract

Aim

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) patients. This subset analysis of the PACT-MEA study compares T2D data from the UAE with data from other Middle Eastern and African (MEA) countries.

Methods

Data were extracted from the participants' medical charts from March 2022 to August 2022 across nine centers in the UAE (n = 542). The prevalence and 10-year CVD risk estimates were evaluated and categorized according to European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2021 guidelines and compared between MEA (regional) and UAE populations.

Results

Participants with T2D from the UAE, enrolled in secondary care, had a median age of 55.7 years. The estimated 10-year CVD risk was 99.8 % in the UAE and 99.3 % in the MEA. Established ASCVD prevalence (eASCVD) was 29.7 % in the UAE and 20.9 % in the MEA. Coronary artery disease was the most common ASCVD type (95.0 %).

Conclusion

Nearly one-third of T2D patients had eASCVD in UAE, compared to one-fifth in MEA. Most participants were at high or very high risk for ASCVD, but none met all ESC 2021 guidelines, highlighting the need for developing regional strategies to reduce ASCVD risk.