Prevalence of Obesity and Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors in South Asians
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OBESITY AND DIET (G RAO, SECTION EDITOR)
Prevalence of Obesity and Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors in South Asians Pravien Khanna & Arya Mani
Published online: 21 January 2012 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012
Abstract Prevalence and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) is rising among South Asians while declining throughout the western world. The increasing prevalence of CVD risk factors in South Asians, particularly obesity and diabetes, is a major cause. Studies suggest the genetic predispositions as well as environmental and lifestyle factors are equally important contributors to disease development. It is important that healthcare providers become increasingly familiar with the risk factors in South Asians and recognize the specific differences that exist compared to other populations. Scientific effort should in particular focus on identifying the underlying genetic causes and novel biomarkers for CVD. Such effort should help with development of novel therapeutics and disease control and prevention. Keywords Cardiovascular risk factors . Coronary artery disease . South Asians . Obesity . Genetics . Diabetes
Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in both developed and non-developed nations. Although mortality from CVD in developed nations has been declining over the past decade, the prevalence of CVD in non-developed nations and among certain ethnic groups of developed nations
P. Khanna Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA e-mail: [email protected] A. Mani (*) Department of Internal Medicine and Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA e-mail: [email protected]
remains high [1]. In India, CVD is the leading cause of death, accounting for 39% of all deaths since 2005 [1]. This is true for all populations of the Indian subcontinent (which is comprised of the countries of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal), who have a common ancestry and are referred to as “South Asians.” South Asians represent one fourth of the world’s population and have the highest proportion of CVD morbidity and mortality compared to other ethnicities. According to the results of the 2010 US Census, South Asians currently represent approximately 1% of the US population and are considered among the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States [2]. Disease onset in this population is significantly earlier compared to other world populations. The mean age for myocardial infarction in South Asians in the INTERHEART study was 52 years, compared to ages 60 to 65 years in Europeans and North Americans [3]. Furthermore, individuals of South Asians ancestry have a twofold increased risk for fatal heart attack compared to any other ethnic group [4]. South Asians are more likely to present late with a myocardial infarction, and are more likely to have an infarction involving the left anterior descending artery (LAD) (28.2% vs 21.3%; P25 kg/m2, with overweight defined as 23 kg/m2 to 24.9 kg/m2; va
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