February is American Heart Month
Resolution for Life
February is American Heart Month, a reminder to take a look at our own heart health. But before you roll your eyes and close this piece, you might want to keep reading if you are of South Asian origin.
An increased prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) has been well documented in the South Asian population living worldwide; that includes residents of India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh. Studies now show that South Asians, one of the fastest growing populations in the U.S., are more likely to die from heart disease than the general worldwide population.
The prevalence of certain traditional risk factors, like diabetes and tobacco use, have been on the rise in this ethnic group and likely contribute to the increase in CHD prevalence. Still, a disproportionate excess of CHD exists, and this may be linked to novel CHD risk factors.
A Hidden Factor Uncovered
In addition to having a high burden of CHD, South Asians in the United States were also found to have a higher incidence of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). For those not familiar with CVD, it is the name for the group of disorders of heart and blood vessels that include hypertension (high blood pressure) and cerebrovascular disease (stroke) among others. CVDs are the number 1 cause of death globally: more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause. An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2016, representing 31% of all global deaths.
South Asians in the United States were found to have higher hospitalization and mortality rates from CVD compared with other racial/ethnic minority groups. “We’ve realized that South Asians are dying of heart disease a lot earlier than other ethnic groups, and that it’s devastating to their community,” said cardiologist Dr. Annabelle Volgman who led an expert group that published a report on the issue for the American Heart Association in the journal Circulation.
An answer to the disparity came with the results of the MASALA study - Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America - indicating that there may be unique protein expression profiles associated with CVD among South Asian populations in the U.S. The MASALA study included 1,164 South Asians recruited from the San Francisco Bay Area and the greater Chicago area who were followed for eight years with the express goal of investigating factors that lead to heart disease among this high-risk ethnic group. The study suggests that these associations may also be impacted by religious struggles causing a crisis of faith or unhealthy eating habits brought on by societal stress.
Mitigating the Risks
Researchers believe that these trends can be reversed with increased awareness. Now that the increased risk of heart disease in South Asians is on their radar, researchers can target studies specifically to this group and physicians can work with their patients to address heart health at an earlier age.
What can you do to address your risk?
Exercise is especially important! Studies show that South Asians exercise less than other groups and are also less aware of the connection between lack of exercise and heart disease. The heart is, after all, a muscle, which requires strength training if you want it to be around for the long haul. Johns Hopkins Medicine has an easy to read article on exercise basics for your heart and blood vessels.
Diet is also a key part of heart health, and although many South Asians are vegetarian, their diets include too much fat, sugar and refined carbohydrates, and these tendencies increase the longer they have lived in the U.S. Here’s a link to a heart-healthy diet from the Mayo Clinic.
Talk to Your Doctor! Early assessments with risk stratification using Echocardiogram, EKG, Lipid profile, and stress tests where needed is the way to understand your body and get started on a long, healthy life.
Thanks to Dr. Ameeth Vedre MD FACC FACP FASE with First Coast Heart and Vascular Center for bringing this important information to our attention.