CAIRO, 4 June 2008 — The Cairo Cardiovascular Symposium held on Monday for medical practitioners highlighted patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as being at increased risk of having cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to data quoted from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, cardiovascular disease was stressed as the most common and serious complication of diabetes, with heart disease and stroke causing almost 65 percent of all diabetes-related deaths. Additional risk factors for CVD include obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity and smoking.
The daylong symposium was attended by physicians from across the region, discussing topics such as the high prevalence of diabetes in the Arab region, diabetes as a vascular disease, the cardiovascular risk management approach to diabetes, the cost to health economics approach and the effect of ‘statins’ in lowering the overall risk of CVD, with interactive case studies on how to apply knowledge in practice.
Addressing the event, Dr. Mourad Elmourad, consultant and head of diabetes and endocrine unit at Riyadh Medical Complex in Riyadh, said: “This symposium aims to examine the key factors that contribute to the high risk of cardiovascular disease in this region and explore the best long-term solutions to ensure a healthier life as soon as we can.”
According to the International Diabetes Federation, the highest prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 20-79 is in the UAE, followed by Saudi Arabia 23.7 percent, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Only the South Pacific Island of Nauru has higher levels than this region. In addition, the prevalence of hypertension in Egypt is 26 percent compared to 26.3 percent in Kuwait, 32.1 percent in Qatar, 33 percent in Oman and 26.1 percent in Saudi Arabia.
Elaborating on the risk management approach, Professor Peter Lansberg, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, said: “High cholesterol is another major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and at this symposium we are discussing the benefits of using statins to reduce overall cardiovascular risk. Statins are a class of medications used to lower cholesterol levels in people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease.” Other speakers were Professor Khalid Al-Rubaean, Diabetes Center, King Saud University, Professor Helen Colhoun of the University of Dundee, Scotland, Professor Peter Lansberg, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Professor Ben Van Hout, Julius Center for Health Science and Primary Care, Utrecht University and Pharmerit, and Professor Ramez Guindy of Ein Shams University.