The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) warns of a coming cardiovascular disease epidemic in the Persian Gulf region and will highlight preventive treatment at the forthcoming Saudi Heart Association conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Cardiovascular diseases cause 45% of early deaths in the Gulf region, according to the ESC. About 30% of men and 44% of women in Saudi Arabia are obese and one-quarter of adults have diabetes; metabolic syndrome is prevalent in 39% of men and 42% of women. The high incidence of risk factors suggests there will be an epidemic of cardiovascular disease in 10 to 15 years, the ESC said.
