Comparison of Characteristics, Management Practices, and Outcomes of Patients Between the Global Registry and the Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events

The Arab Middle East is a unique region of the developing world where little is known about the outcomes of patients hospitalized with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), despite playing an important role in the global burden of cardiovascular disease. The primary objectives of this observational study were to compare patients with ACS hospitalized in the Arab Middle East to patients enrolled in a multinational non-Arabian ACS registry. The study cohort consisted of patients hospitalized in 2007 with an ACS including 4,445 from the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) and 6,706 from the Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events (Gulf RACE). Average age of patients in Gulf RACE was nearly a decade younger than that in GRACE (56 vs 66 years). Patients in Gulf RACE were more likely to be men, diabetic, and smoke and less likely to be hypertensive compared to patients in GRACE. Patients in Gulf RACE had higher odds of receiving aspirin and a lower likelihood of receiving angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/ angiotensin receptor blockers, beta blockers, and clopidogrel during their index hospitalization. Although most eligible patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction in Gulf RACE received thrombolytics, most of their counterparts in GRACE underwent a primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Multivariable adjusted in-hospital case fatality rates were not significantly different between patients in Gulf RACE and those in GRACE. In conclusion, despite differences in patient characteristics and treatment practices, short-term mortality rates were comparable in patients with ACS enrolled in these 2 registries. Future studies should explore the effects of these differences on long-term prognosis and other pertinent patient outcomes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (Am J Cardiol 2011;108:1252-1258)