KMU Study Finds High Cardiovascular Disease Rates in Peshawar Young Adults

What Happened

A multicentre study titled “epidemiology and genetic profiling of cardiovascular diseases among young adults in Peshawar, Pakistan” has been conducted by Dr Nauman Arif [1]. The research was part of his PhD in public health at the Institute of Public Health and Social Sciences, Khyber Medical University (KMU) [1]. Dr Arif completed his doctoral work under the supervision of Professor Ziaul Haq, the executive director of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), and Professor Taj Ali Khan, a professor of molecular epidemiology at KMU [1].

Key findings from the study include:

• 24.2% of cardiovascular disease (CVD) admissions involved young adults between 18 and 45 years of age [1].
• Nearly 70% of these young patients presented with advanced disease severity [1].
• The researcher screened 8,650 patients [1].
• Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and cardiomyopathies were identified as significant conditions among this group [1].
• Genetic investigations identified potentially pathogenic variants in the LRP6, MEF2A, and CYP27A1 genes in familial cases [1].

The study analyzed data from four public sector tertiary care hospitals in Peshawar: Hayatabad Medical Complex, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital, and the Peshawar Institute of Cardiology [1].

Separately, KMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Abdul Jalil Khan participated in a five-day meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) Guideline Development Group (GDG) in Geneva, Switzerland, from 26 to 30 October 2026 [2, 3]. This meeting focused on developing international guidelines for managing dyslipidaemia to prevent cardiovascular diseases [2, 3].

Who Is Affected

The research highlights a growing burden of heart disease among young adults in Peshawar [1]. While cardiovascular diseases are often associated with older populations, this study indicates a high incidence in the 18 to 45 age group in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [1]. Globally, cardiovascular diseases account for approximately 523 million cases and 18.6 million deaths annually, with 75% of these deaths occurring in low and middle-income countries [1].