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. 2024 Dec 5;36(4):385-407.
doi: 10.37616/2212-5043.1407. eCollection 2024.

A Saudi Heart Association Position Statement on Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes Mellitus

Waleed Alhabeeb  1 , Abdelfatah Elasfar  2 , Abdulhalim J Kinsara  3   4   5 , Ahmed Aljizeeri  6   7   8 , Ibrahim Jelaidan  3   4   8 , Kamal Alghalayini  9 , Mohammed F AlKheraiji  10 , Mousa Akbar  11 , Sameh Lawand  12 , Sarah M Alyousif  11   13   14 , Saud Alsifri  15 , Taher Hassan  16
Affiliations

A Saudi Heart Association Position Statement on Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes Mellitus

Waleed Alhabeeb et al. J Saudi Heart Assoc. .

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus are prominent public health concerns in Saudi Arabia owing to their increasingly high prevalence and burden. Based on this, the Saudi Heart Association (SHA) set out to develop an official position statement on CVD and diabetes mellitus, with a focus on the prevention and management of these conditions and relevant special populations in the context of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A multidisciplinary panel of experts met under the auspices of the SHA in a series of meetings to review and discuss available evidence on the prevention and management of comorbid CVD and diabetes mellitus. Specialized subcommittees reviewed the data and offered context-specific recommendations (taking into account Saudi population characteristics, local healthcare system, available resources and medical expertise), which were later approved by the full expert panel.

Results and conclusions: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and CVD is alarming in the Saudi Arabian population. Diabetes mellitus and CVD are interconnected on several levels, including cellular and molecular events as well as epigenetic and genetic mechanisms. Screening for CVD is a priority for patients with diabetes and concomitant risk factors. The expert panel also recommends aggressive management of high blood pressure and dyslipidemia in addition to lifestyle changes and achieving glycemic targets for the prevention of CVD in patients with diabetes. Some glucose-lowering drug classes, namely SGLT2-inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists, offer significant benefits on the level of cardiovascular risk reduction and are thus a powerful addition to the clinical management armamentarium in CVD and diabetes. Special consideration is also advised for patient populations with distinct clinical presentation and needs, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease, among others.

Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases; Diabetes; Disease management; Saudi Arabia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Dr. Sarah Alyousef, Dr. Mousa Akbar, Dr. Saud Alsifri, Dr. Mohammed Alkhuriji and Dr. Taher Hassan have no conflicts of interest to declare. The remaining authors declare the following conflicts of interest: Dr. Waleed Alhabeeb has received remuneration for lectures from Tabouk, Roche Diagnostic, Novartis, Servier, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, and Novo Nordisk (not relevant to this paper). Dr. Abdelfatah Elasfar has received remuneration for lectures from Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. Abdulhalim Kinsara has received remuneration for lectures from Pfizer and Novartis (not relevant to this paper). Dr. Ahmed Aljizeeri has received remuneration for lectures from GE Healthcare (not relevant to this paper). Dr. Ibrahim Jelaidan has received remuneration for lectures from Novartis, Bayer, Astrazenica, Vifor, and Boehringer Ingelheim (not related to this paper). Dr. Kamal Alghalayini has performed paid consultancy services for Nostalgia clinic (not relevant to this paper), and received remuneration for lectures from King Abdulaziz University that are relevant to the paper. Dr. Sameh Lawand has received remuneration for lectures from AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Amgen, and Novartis, and received funding for clinical studies from IQVIA.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Pathogenesis of DM and CVD. FFA: free fatty acids, TG: triglycerides; ApoB: apolipoprotein B; VLDL: very Low Density Lipoprotein; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; CVD: cardiovascular disease.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Classification of DM as per the SDCPG 2021.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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