The number of deaths caused by diseases of the circulatory system increased by more than 40 per cent from 2010 to last year, according to the Health Authority–Abu Dhabi's 2011 annual statistics.
The figure jumped from 762 deaths in 2010 to 1,089 the following year – a startling increase of 42.9 per cent.
However, the reason for the surge is not clear.
More than half the number of deaths caused by diseases of the circulatory system occurred within the expatriate population.
Circulatory system diseases can range from a brain stroke to a heart attack to gangrene. Other diseases that fall under the category include heart valve disease and varicose veins.
The rise in deaths should not cause alarm, because more investigations need to be carried out, said Dr Wael Nasr, a vascular surgeon at CosmeSurge.
"We've been relatively stable [with our patient load]. Looking at the increase, if we see a sudden increase in prevalence or incidence, what do we look at? Are we diagnosing more of the disease? Was it already there and we didn't know about it?
"Maybe Abu Dhabi has licensed several new doctors that specialise in the circulatory system. Has there been newer technology brought in? Is there greater awareness among patients that makes them present to doctors at an earlier stage?"
Other factors could include a more effective method of data collection, said the doctor.
"Usually we don't see, in medicine, such a drastic rise in the prevalence of the disease – especially circulatory system diseases.
It's not really a jump that happens between one year or the next.
"Just saying there is a rise is not enough, especially for us as clinicians. There are other questions."
Dr Jairam Aithal, an interventional cardiologist and peripheral interventionalist at New Medical Centre (NMC) Specialty Hospital, said conditions such as stroke, heart attack, heart failure and arrhythmias were the leading causes of death from circulatory disorders in patients over the age of 45.
For patients under the age of 30, this was congenital cardiac disorders.
While obesity has never been indicated as a risk factor, said Dr Nasr, complications could arise from being overweight, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Without a more thorough breakdown of figures, Dr Aithal said it would be difficult to discuss the statistics at this stage.
At NMC, no trend has emerged that signals an increase.
"We have not witnessed significant increase in the mortality rates due to circulatory disorders as compared to the previous year," said the doctor.
The Health Authority–Abu Dhabi was not available for comment.
zalhassani@thenational.ae
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Name: Kumulus Water
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