Are Roma people more predisposed to certain cardiac and respiratory conditions?

Abstract

R Popescu, I Sarbu, C Matei, M Tampa, F Dumitrache, C Stanciu Medico-Military Institute, Bucharest, Romania University of Medicine and Pharmacy ‘‘Carol Davila’’, Bucharest, Romania Contact: popescu_robert1@yahoo.com Background Health conditions resulting from lifestyle have become an important public health concern during the last decade. Cardiac and respiratory diseases, the most common ones in our society, are difficult to manage due to the long treatment required, the need for lifestyle improvement and lack of relevant and appropriate screening policies. Most Roma people are more predisposed to cardiac and respiratory conditions due to lifestyle factors such as hard physical work, smoking since childhood, stressful life due to social marginalization induced by discrimination, specific diet based on pork and large quantities of salt, as well as lack of health education and insufficient use of preventive healthcare. Methods We questioned 900 people from 30 traditional Roma communities living in Romania, regarding their lifestyle, diet, smoking habits, daily activities, religion, known medical conditions and treatments. We also performed medical examinations: we measured blood pressure, pulse and took respiratory samples. Results A high percentage (63,5%) of the patients presented high blood pressure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which have developed over time because of their lifestyle. Most patients (49,2%) did not visit their doctor regularly and did not undergo health checks except in emergency situations. Conclusions Although cardiac and respiratory conditions are usually associated with stress and other factors, there is a lack of studies that distinguish between patients belonging to different risk groups on the basis of social and economic factors. Compared to data available on general populations, our results show that the evolution of these conditions is more severe and faster among Roma people. All this suggests that further screening should be focused more on Roma people, without being discriminatory. Key messages Cardiac and respiratory conditions evolve faster and more severely among Roma than among non-Roma people. Further screening should be more specific, considering the lifestyle of Roma people from isolated communities.