Acute Coronary Syndrome poses increasing threat for UAE

•Prevalence of obesity and diabetes in UAE complicates the situation
•Heart disease leads to 25 per cent of deaths in UAE

Abu Dhabi, June 15, 2015:Abu Dhabi, June 15, 2015: Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) a term used to describe an acute heart attack is turning out to be a major burden on UAE, came into focus at education programme organised by Lifecare Hospital, Mussafah. Dr Khaled Galal, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Lifecare Hospital, Musaffah, pointed out that ACS is a major burden on healthcare system associated with more than 2.5 million hospitalizations worldwide each year.

“Heart disease is the world's leading cause of death. It claims 17.1 million lives a year, about 30 per cent of deaths worldwide, and accounts for 25 per cent of deaths in the UAE" says Dr Galal. The prevalence of ACS is expected to increase with rates of obesity and diabetes increasing in UAE. "Smoking, stress, junk food, lack of exercise and diabetes are creating heart disease patients in the UAE 15 years earlier than in the West,” he adds.

However, according to a report entitled the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013, by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, more than 66 per cent of men and 60 per cent of women in the UAE are already overweight or obese.

The CME programme 'Acute Coronary Syndrome: How to manage' was eye opener as Dr Galal showed concern that despite improvements in the secondary prevention of ACS through proper treatment of diabetes, hypertension, cessation of smoking, weight reduction and the use of antiplatelet therapy, cardiovascular death and re-infarction still occur in 10–15 per cent of patients within 12 months of an acute episode.

Optimal therapeutic goals for the treatment of ACS are most likely to be achieved through the use of approaches that target both the platelet and blood clotting pathways together with revascularization. “For most people, interventional procedures increase blood flow to the heart, diminish chest pain and decrease the risk of a heart attack. Although an interventional procedure opens up blocked arteries, it does not CURE coronary artery disease. You will still need to reduce your risk factors and make certain lifestyle changes to prevent future disease development or progression. To achieve the best results, you must be committed to leading a heart-healthy lifestyle. Your doctor can help you achieve your goals, but it is up to you to take your medications as prescribed, make dietary changes, quit smoking, exercise regularly, keep your follow-up appointments and be an active member of the treatment team," says Dr Galal.

Dr. Ezzat Agamy, VPS Healthcare Hospitals Group COO, CEO Life care Hospital –Mussaffah, said, “Increasing number of deaths related to heart disease, which are being complicated by the change of lifestyle in UAE has made it necessary to hold such talks and deliberations to make people aware of the severity of the situation. It is a wake up call for everyone in the society to plug the root cause of the problem if they wish to live a healthy life.”