Association Between Diabetes Mellitus and Heart Diseases in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction:

Understanding the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks among diabetic individuals is essential for developing targeted prevention strategies in Saudi Arabia. This research aims to evaluate the cardiovascular disease risk among diabetic patients within the Saudi population.

Methods:

Employing an analytical cross-sectional observational approach, this study was carried out among individuals visiting primary health care centers in Najran city. Both diabetic patients and non-diabetic controls underwent thorough clinical evaluations and laboratory tests to detect the presence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetic nephropathy, and retinopathy. Efforts were made to ensure that the cases and control groups were demographically similar, particularly in terms of age and gender, to maintain comparability.

Results:

Analysis revealed a significant association between diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, with an unadjusted odds ratio of 11.5 (P=0.001). Furthermore, logistic regression analysis indicated that diabetes mellitus and smoking habits stand as significant independent predictors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Conversely, factors such as age, gender, nationality, and body mass index did not significantly predict CVD occurrence.

Conclusions:

The findings underscore a heightened risk of cardiovascular diseases among diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia compared to non-diabetic individuals. Key risk factors identified include hypertension and dyslipidemia, whereas age, gender, and nationality appeared to have no significant impact on CVD risk among diabetics. Notably, diabetes mellitus and smoking emerged as critical independent predictors for cardiovascular disease incidence, highlighting the need for focused preventive measures and lifestyle interventions among at-risk populations.