Indian Americans' risk of heart disease more than other immigrants
By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 25 August 2010, 08:47 IST
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Princeton:According to a recent study, Indian Americans are at greater risk of suffering from coronary heart disease compared to other sub-groups.Japanese and Chinese-Americans have lower chances of suffering from the same disease, but have higher chances of suffering from a stroke. "Available research shows that sub-groups of Asian-Americans are at increased risk of complications and death from cardiovascular disease. Asian-Americans are often studied as a group, which masks the differences within this heterogeneous population," claimed Dr. Latha Palaniappan, chair of the American Heart Association's Scientific Advisory on Cardiovascular Disease in Asian Americans. But, results of a California epidemiological study found that mortlaity was higher in a younger, Asian-Indian population of patients compared to other subgroups and racial and ethnic groups. Additionally, this subset had higher rates of ischemic heart disease hospitalizations. While admitting that more research is needed on cardiovascular disease in Asian-Americans, as there are marked differences in heart disease risk and occurrence in this group, Dr. Palaniappan further said Asian-Americans represent 25 percent of all foreign-born people in the US and are projected to reach nearly 34 million by 2050. Palaniappan concluded that Asian-Americans may have different risk factors compared to those of Caucasians and said that while a body mass index of 25 kg/m2 or less is normal for Caucasians, for Asians, a body mass index of 23 kg/m2 may be more appropriate. Additionally, Asian-Americans can often metabolize drug therapy for heart disease differently than other racial and ethnic groups. Palaniappan and her colleagues reviewed published research on Asian Americans and cardiovascular disease, then identified gaps in knowledge and made recommendations.

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