Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Hypertension and diabetes are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).1, 2 Hypertension is the single most important risk factor

for ischemic and a major risk factor for hemorrhagic stroke, in addition to coronary heart disease (CHD).1 Similarly, patients with diabetes have a two- to four-fold higher risk of CVD, the

leading cause of death in this population.2 Also associated with CVD are the often un(der)diagnosed conditions of pre-hypertension3 and pre-diabetes,4 which often evolve to full disease. A

better understanding of the risks associated with these precursor conditions is essential—including in regions where hypertension and especially diabetes are rising at rates not even seen in

and joint associations of pre-diabetes and pre-hypertension with subsequent onset of major cardiac outcomes. Summarized, in age- and gender-adjusted analyses, pre-hypertension was predictive

of unstable angina and CVD, and comorbid pre-hypertension and pre-diabetes predictive of myocardial infarction. Pre-diabetes was not independently associated with cardiovascular events. The

authors also compare their rates to those in other Middle-Eastern countries—showing similarities and differences in results across studies that vary in methodology. Together, this gives a

convincing epidemiological perspective on the association of pre-hypertension and pre-diabetes with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in Iran; and an initial view on the epidemiological

dynamics in other countries in the region. This is particularly pertinent given the epidemiology of hypertension and diabetes in the Arab-speaking region. This is a preview of subscription

content, access via your institution RELEVANT ARTICLES Open Access articles citing this article. * PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN RIYADH, SAUDI

ARABIA * Seema Mohammed Nasser * , Mamdouh M. Shubair *  … Ashraf El-Metwally _BMC Health Services Research_ Open Access 07 March 2025 ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution

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Read our FAQs * Contact customer support REFERENCES * World Heart Federation. Cardiovascular disease risk factors: hypertension. World Heart Federation: Geneva, Switzerland, 2016. Available

at: http://www.world-heart-federation.org/cardiovascular-health/cardiovascular-disease-risk-factors/hypertension/. Accessed on 9 September 2016. * World Heart Federation. Cardiovascular

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Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Center for Health Outcomes and PharmacoEconomic Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA I Abraham & S Kurdi *

Matrix45, Tucson, AZ, USA I Abraham & K MacDonald * College of Pharmacy, University of Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia S Kurdi Authors * I Abraham View author publications You can also

search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * S Kurdi View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * K MacDonald View author publications You can

also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to I Abraham. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no conflict of interest.

RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Abraham, I., Kurdi, S. & MacDonald, K. The hypertension, diabetes and chronic kidney disease triangle

in Arab countries. _J Hum Hypertens_ 31, 373–375 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2017.16 Download citation * Published: 23 March 2017 * Issue Date: June 2017 * DOI:

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