UAE: One in four deaths attributed to heart attacks
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Nov 2015
In the UAE, one in four deaths are attributed to heart attacks, with the number of heart attack cases increasing year-on-year.
Rashid Hospital said it admitted 681 people with heart attacks in 2011, 636 in 2012, 833 in 2013, and 1,200 in 2014. For the first six months of this year, the hospital admitted 632 heart attack cases, reported the Khaleej Times.
Dr Fahd Baslaib, Head of Cardiology at Rashid Hospital said: “Fifty percent of the patients who are admitted to Rashid Hospital due to heart attacks are smokers. That’s one in two patients. The number reflects the strong link between tobacco and heart attacks. Compared to others, smokers carry up to four times the risk of getting a heart attack.”
He said that studies have shown that in the Middle East region, the average age for patients with heart attacks is at least 10 years younger than in many western countries. “The reason for such high prevalence of heart diseases in the UAE can be attributed to the high percentage of risk factors facing the population. We have a high percentage of people with diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure,” said Dr Baslaib.