This study examined the prevalence of CVDs using a nationally representative sample across all regions in Saudi Arabia. The overall prevalence of CVDs was 1.6% across all regions in Saudi Arabia, with 1.9% among males and 1.4 among females. This study indicates large differences in the prevalence of CVDs according to age, sex, and region in Saudi Arabia. The highest prevalence of CVDs was reported in the older age category with 65 years and older (11.1%), males, and in Makkah region (1.92%) This study was the first report at the national level representing all regions of Saudi Arabia.

There is a lack of research related to CVDs in Saudi Arabia. The prevalence of CVDs in Saudi Arabia in our study (1.6%) was much lower than the reported prevalence in previous research (from 5.5 to 13.6%) [19,20,21,22,23]. This could be attributed to the type of CVDs and the samples included in these studies. Al-nozha et al. reported a prevalence of coronary artery disease of 5.5% among adults aged 30 to 70 years [19]. This report included 17,232 participants across the regions. The age inclusion in this study (30 years old) was higher than the included age in our study (15 years) which might explain the discrepancy in the prevalence. Another small study found a 13.6% prevalence of deep venous thrombosis among surgical patients [20]. However, the sample of this study is different than our sample as this study included only patients who underwent surgical intervention. Al-Sheikh et al. examined the prevalence of peripheral artery disease among patients attending a primary care center [23]. This study reported the prevalence of peripheral artery disease at 11.7% among 471 patients [23]. The small sample size and including specific age groups (45 years and older) could be attributed to the high prevalence rate in this study. Although our findings are different than previous evidence, our study included a representative large sample at a national level including all regions of Saudi Arabia. Another difference is including all CVDs in one category that has not been examined in previous research that was focused on specific diseases such as coronary heart diseases and peripheral artery diseases.

At the international level, our results were inconsistent with other reports in other countries. A recent work from China found that the standardized prevalence rate of CVD was 14.7% which was higher than the prevalence rate in our sample (1.6%) [24]. In contrast, another work from the United States reported that the prevalence of CVD was 5.5%, although this percentage is higher than the Saudi population in our study (1.6%) [25]. A lower prevalence rate of coronary heart disease was reported in England (3%) [26]. These higher prevalence rates in Eastern and Western countries compared to our study could be related to different methodologies and samples and inclusion criteria.

In Saudi Arabia, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are influenced by various significant risk factors. Which exhibits a higher occurrence of various CVD risk factors compared to the United States and European nations [27, 28]. These risk factors encompass ischemic heart disease, hypertension, a history of stroke, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia [21, 29]. The Saudi Government has, through Saudi Vision 2030 to increase life expectancy from 75 to 80 years. CVD is one of the noncommunicable diseases that the Saudi government is committed to addressing. Since these illnesses are preventable, efforts are concentrated on reducing biological and behavioral risk factors such hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia. In order to prevent noncommunicable diseases and reap long-term advantages, younger Saudi nationals are urged to adopt healthier lifestyles. A comprehensive report has been developed by the World Bank Group and the Saudi Public Health Authority to act as a blueprint [30]. This strategic paper describes actions to reduce the negative effects of CVD on health and the economy, so an increase in life expectancy can be reached.

This study has several limitations that need to be considered in interpretation and future work. The cross-sectional design limited the selection of the sample without measuring the incidence rate. The diagnosis of CVD was based on self-reported questions that might limit those who are unaware of the disease diagnosis to be counted in our findings. Future research should examine CVD using gold-standard diagnostic tools and measures. Lack of disease information is another limitation as the reports were not specific to which type of CVD. Other risk factors related to CVD such as obesity, hypertension, and lack of physical activity were not measured. Future studies should examine CVD within the context of prevalence and associated modifiable factors at a national level in Saudi Arabia.