South Asian ethnicity as a risk factor for coronary heart disease

South Asian ethnicity has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, in the context of a greater burden of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. We aimed to identify the 10-year incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in South Asians, as compared to other racial-ethnic groups, in a retrospective cohort study, using the Kaiser Permanente Northern California integrated health care system, and to understand whether traditional risk factors could explain differences in outcomes.

A study cohort established in 2006, with 10-year follow-up, identified a total n = 341,309 patients, including 5149 South Asians, aged 30-70 years who underwent a screening lipid panel and had no prior history of CHD. There were a total of 460 (8.93%) patients with at least one cardiovascular event, including cardiovascular death, coronary artery revascularization, and myocardial infarction, in South Asians, as compared to 5.66% patients in the total population (p < 0.0001). In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, South Asian ethnicity, compared to White race, was associated with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.04 (95%CI: 1.83, 2.28) in predicting the cardiovascular outcomes.

South Asian ethnicity, even after adjustment for traditional risk factors, is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease outcomes. This risk was greater than other studied racial-ethnic groups and second only to diabetes in CHD risk prediction.