Raal, Frederick J.Hamoui, OmarOmar, Mohamed I.Rashed, WafaKane, AbdoulAlami, MohamedAbreu, PaulaMashhoud, WalidAlsheikh-Ali, Alawi A.2025-07-102019-03Hamoui, O., Omar, M. I., Raal, F. J., Rashed, W., Kane, A., Alami, M., Abreu, P., Mashhoud, W., & Alsheikh-Ali, A. A. (2019). Increases in statin eligibility to reduce cardiovascular risk according to the 2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines in the Africa Middle East region: a sub-analysis of the Africa Middle East Cardiovascular Epidemiological (ACE) study. BMC cardiovascular disorders, 19(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-019-1034-21471-2261 (online)10.1186/s12872-019-1034-2https://hdl.handle.net/10539/45377Background: With development of cholesterol management guidelines by the American College of Cardiology/ American Heart Association (ACC/AHA), more individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease may be eligible for statin therapy. It is not known how this affects statin eligibility in the Africa and Middle East Region. Methods: Data were used from the Africa Middle East Cardiovascular Epidemiological (ACE) study. The percentage of subjects eligible for statins per the ACC/AHA 2013 cholesterol guidelines and the 2002 National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP-ATP III) recommendations were compared. Analyses were carried out according to age, gender, community (urban/rural), and country income categories based on World Bank definitions. Results: According to the ACC/AHA recommendations, 1695 out of 4378 subjects (39%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 37–40%) satisfied statin eligibility criteria vs. 1043/4378 (24%; 95% CI, 23–25%) per NCEP-ATP recommendations, representing a 63% increase in statin eligibility. Consistent increases in eligibility for statin therapy were seen according to the ACC/AHA vs. NCEP-ATP guidelines across sub-groups of age, gender, community, and country income. Notable increases for statin eligibility according to ACC/AHA vs. NCEP-ATP were seen, respectively, in subjects aged ≥65 years (86% vs. 39%), in males (46% vs. 25%), in low-income countries (28% vs. 14%), and rural communities (37% vs. 19%). Conclusion: An increase in statin eligibility was seen applying ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines compared with previous NCEP-ATP recommendations in the Africa Middle East region. The economic consequences of these guideline recommendations will need further research.en© The Author(s). 2019 Open Access, This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Africa Middle East regionCholesterol guidelinesLipid-lowering therapyIncomeThe Africa and Middle East Cardiovascular Epidemiological (ACE) studyStatin therapySDG-3: Good health and well-beingArticle