Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have declined over the past two decades.1 However, despite improvements in population health, marked racial and ethnic disparities in longevity and CVD management persist. South Asians (SAs), people with ancestors from the Indian subcontinent constitute 1/5 of the world's population. During the late 1980s, the term “double burden of disease” was first used and can be defined as the burden of non-communicable diseases on top of infectious diseases that remain undefeated.2 Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called heart disease, stood out as the most common cause of this increasing double burden of diseases. The first study that was published related to South Asians and CAD risk was in 1991 by McKeigue et al.3 The study assessed the relation of central obesity and insulin resistance with high type 2 diabetes mellitus prevalence and CAD risk in immigrant SAs. A sample of industrial workers and general practitioners in the United Kingdom were shown to have a higher prevalence of diabetes, higher blood pressure, higher fasting and post-glucose serum insulin concentrations, higher plasma triglyceride (TG), and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL). This study confirms the existence of an insulin resistance syndrome in SAs.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.