Atherothrombosis in South asians: implications of atherosclerotic and inflammatory markers

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• South Asian immigrants (SAIs) exhibit elevated cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality.
• Conventional risk factors inadequately explain the heightened CV risk in SAIs.
• Inflammation is central to atherosclerosis and predicts future CV events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the challenge of early coronary artery disease (CAD) detection in asymptomatic, high-risk SAIs.
• To review the utility of imaging markers like common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) for CAD prediction in SAIs.
• To evaluate C-reactive protein (CRP) and dysfunctional high-density lipoprotein (HDL) as CAD risk markers in this population.

Main Methods:

• Review of studies investigating CCA-IMT as a surrogate marker for CV events.
• Analysis of the validity of CRP in predicting CV risk.
• Examination of dysfunctional HDL's role as a CAD risk marker in SAIs.

Main Results:

• CCA-IMT is explored as an imaging measure for end-points like myocardial infarction (MI).
• The predictive value of CRP in risk assessment is discussed.
• The role of dysfunctional HDL in identifying CAD risk among SAIs is presented.

Conclusions:

• Accurate CAD detection in asymptomatic SAIs is vital for primary prevention.
• CCA-IMT, CRP, and dysfunctional HDL show potential as markers for assessing CAD risk in SAIs.
• Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role of these markers in managing CV risk in SAIs.