Coronary heart disease in south Asians overseas: a review.

Coronary heart disease rates have been reported in several parts of the world to be unusually high in people originating from the Indian subcontinent. High coronary disease rates appear to be common to South Asian groups of different geographical origin, religion, and language. This presents a challenge to the understanding of coronary heart disease: the high rates in South Asians are not explained on the basis of elevated serum cholesterol, smoking or hypertension.

Diabetes, hyperinsulinaemia, and coronary risk factors in Bangladeshis in east London.

Immigrants from the Indian subcontinent (South Asians) in England and Wales have higher morbidity and mortality from coronary heart disease than the general population; this seems to apply to both Hindus and Muslims. Studies in north west London and Trinidad found that the increased risk of coronary heart disease in Indians was not explained by dietary fat intakes, smoking, blood pressure, or plasma lipids. In the present study the distribution of coronary risk factors was measured in an East London borough where the mortality and attack rate from coronary heart disease are higher in the Asian population, predominantly Muslims from Bangladesh, than in the rest of the population.

The relationship of hospital admission and fatality from myocardial infarction to glycohaemoglobin levels.

We have performed a study to assess the relative contributions of increased hospital admission rates with acute myocardial infarction and increased hospital case fatality to the excess mortality of subjects with elevated levels of glycohaemoglobin from myocardial infarction. Glycohaemoglobin levels were estimated by isoelectric focussing in 397 subjects without known diabetes mellitus admitted with myocardial infarction and compared with a control population reconstructed from a community sample of 1084 subjects without known diabetes mellitus screened in general practice. In the case-control comparison, glycohaemoglobin levels above the 90th centile were associated with relative risks of 3.

Diet and risk factors for coronary heart disease in Asians in northwest London.

Asian immigrants to England and Wales have high mortality from coronary heart disease but low mortality from colon cancer. A survey of Asians in the London boroughs of Brent and Harrow was undertaken with the object of investigating this. Compared with the British population, the Asians consumed less saturated (S) fat and cholesterol and more polyunsaturated (P) fat and vegetable fibre.