Most high cholesterol patients undertreated

Almost 50 per cent of patients in the Gulf with high cholesterol remain undertreated, according to a regional study. A study called CEPHEUS conducted by AstraZeneca Gulf in partnership with Emirates Cardiac Society is the first of its kind in the Gulf looking at cholesterol management in 5,000 patients, 10 per cent of whom are Emiratis. "We cannot depend on European data; we have to create our own. That's why this study is really important." said Dr Wael Fahmy, Medical Director of Gulf AstraZeneca. Despite widespread accessibility and use of anti-cholesterol medication, goals set by American Guidelines are not being met, Dr Afzal Yousufali, Consultant Physician and Cardiologist at Dubai Heart Centre, said. "High-risk patients — people who have had a heart attack or diabetes — need to go down to an LDL-C [bad cholesterol] of less than 70 milligram/decilitre. Less high-risk patients can go up to 100 mg/dl," he said. The doctors have speculated over the factors leading to patients not reaching these goals and hope to do further decisive research for the region. The reasons may be a lack of communication between patient and doctor, fear of side effects, costs, or the medical system itself, Dr Afzal said. "High cholesterol, because it doesn't produce any symptoms in patients unless they reach a complication, is very dangerous. Patients say why should I take medicine and this is one of the issues," said Dr Fahd Baslaib, Head of Cardiology at Rashid Hospital. Article continues below High cholesterol is one of the major factors resulting in coronary heart disease and stroke, a leading cause of death in the Gulf.