Are Wealthy UAE Residents more Susceptible to Heart Disease?
According to a newly published research in the Open Cardiovascular Medicine Journal, wealthy UAE residents are significantly more at risk of cardiovascular heart disease. The findings contrast with many developed parts of the world, where poorer people are more likely to develop the potentially fatal condition
One of the study’s authors, the dean of the College of Medicine, and professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dr. Alawi Alsheikh-Ali examined more than a 1,000 patients undergoing a coronary angiography; a procedure in which dye is injected into the heart’s blood vessels to look for narrowing. The study examined patients from five different hospitals in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
He said that the higher rates of diabetes, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle among wealthier people accounted for the study’s findings.
“The collective take-home message from this growing literature is that socioeconomic development is typically accompanied by increased risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, which is likely driven by lifestyle risk factors,” he added.
When the data on the 1,068 patients was examined, the doctors looked for signs of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), a condition characterized by a narrowing of a major blood vessel in the heart; it was found that people who were unemployed were at greater risk than those in work.
In addition, the study found that people with greater incomes had higher rates of CAD and a related condition called multi-vessel disease than people who earned less.
“Anticipation and recognition of such a disease burden can help guide public health and education campaigns to combat chronic disease,” said Dr Alsheikh-Ali.
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