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Background: The prevalence of abdominal obesity among women in UAE is exceptionally high. However, its impact on cardiovascular health has not been adequately investigated. The aims of this study were to investigate: (1) correlations between inflammatory and oxidative biomarkers vs. anthropometric and metabolic measures; (2) rates of dyslipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension and (3) risks of cardiovascular disease. Methods: One hundred ten “healthy” overweight/obese Emirati women attending nutrition counselling clinics were randomly recruited. All participants had completed questionnaire, physical examination and laboratory assessment. Results: The participants’ mean ± SD of age, body mass-index, waist circumference were 39 ± 9 years, 34 ± 6 kg/ m2 and 100 ± 13 cm respectively. Among the studied women 45 % met diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome showing a positive correlation of hsCRP with BMI (p = 0.002), body fat (p = 0.002) and waist circumference (p = 0.018). There was positive correlation of IL-6 with waist circumference (p = 0.019) and adiponectin with HDL (p = 0.007). Prevalence of HDL <1.3 mmol/L or triglycerides ≥1.7 mmol/L were 82 %, dysglycemia 31 %, and hypertension 27 and 37 % of women had either ‘high’ or ‘moderate’ calculated cardiovascular 10-year risk score. Conclusion: The levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were highly prevalent among overweight/ obese Emirati women and this may predispose to increasing cardiovascular risks at relatively young age. Thus effective strategies to impact cardiovascular burden and conducting outcome studies assessing the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and addressing obesity prevention among women are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In populations with high prevalences of iron deficiency and thalassemia trait, many apparently healthy individuals have abnormal erythroid parameters, which may cause diagnostic problems in clinical practice. We studied the prevalence and causes of red cell parameter values outside their reference ranges in 394 healthy individuals of Bedouin Arab origin, who had complete blood counts (CBCs), hemoglobin (Hb) analyses and serum ferritin tests done. Their mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 24.8 ± 4.9 years and 51.8% were females. Overall, 53.0% (209/394) had low Hb, MCV or MCH or high RDW. Anemia was present in 27.0% (55/204) of the women and 3.0% (6/190) of the men. Overall prevalence of MCV <80.0 fL was 45.0% (176/394) and MCH <27.0 pg was 48.0% (190/394); RDW >14.0% was found in 21.0% (43/204) of women and 7.0% (14/190) of men. Of the women, 16.0% had iron deficiency anemia (33/204) and 65.0% had ferritin values of <30.0 μg/L (133/204). The estimated prevalence of α-thalassemia (α-thal) trait in men was 32.0% (60/190) and that of β-thalassemia (β-thal) trait in both sexes was 3.0% (12/394). In conclusion, half of the healthy Emirati population have abnormal CBC values. For clinical purposes, they require reference standards for red cells that are derived from their own population. Screening of women for iron deficiency is justified due to a high prevalence of iron deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]