Mahendra Agrawal never imagined he would have a heart attack. He followed a vegetarian diet, exercised regularly and maintained a healthy weight. His blood pressure and cholesterol levels were normal. But when Mr. Agrawal experienced shortness of breath in June , his wife urged him to go to a hospital. There, tests revealed that Mr.
South Asians' high risk of cardiovascular disease has been hidden by a lack of data
South Asian background and heart health
Experts issue a statement focusing on the prevention and treatment of risk factors for heart disease for South Asians in the United States. South Asians develop heart disease at a younger age and have higher rates of heart disease than whites, based on a scientific statement recently released by the American Heart Association. Published in Circulation , this statement addresses heart disease in South Asians living in the United States. While heart disease is the leading killer of all Americans, data suggests that South Asians face especially high rates of heart disease in the United States.
New report details high heart disease risk in South Asians in U.S.
Your ethnic origin can increase your risk of heart and circulatory disease and diabetes. Even within the South Asian group, there are differences in risk. Those at highest risk are the Bangladeshi population, followed by Pakistanis, Indians and Sri Lankans — but even Sri Lankans may be at higher risk than white Caucasians.
South Asians living in the U. But this risk has been largely hidden by a lack of data, researchers say. Annabelle Volgman, who led an expert group that on Thursday published a report link opens in new window on the issue for the American Heart Association in the journal Circulation. There were around 3.