Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (ASCAD) claims millions of lives annually on a global level and is the leading cause of death in the Middle East. There are four standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs): hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and smoking. These are very common in the Middle East and are crucial to be screened for and addressed in an affective manner.
However, an increasing proportion of patients with ASCVD have none of these individual factors (SMuRF-less). Globally, this proportion comprises 11.6% of individuals with stable coronary disease and heart attack. No prior study has addressed the issue of the prevalence of SMuRF-less patients among the whole population of individuals with ASCVD in the Middle East.
