Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9880
ISSN: 2155-9880
Naresh Ranjith, Rosemary J. Pegoraro and Monique G. Zaahl
Aims: To examine the association between traditional risk factors and acute coronary syndrome [ACS] in the South Asian Indian population in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
Methods and Results: The study population comprised 4418 patients with a mean age of 54.6 ± 10.9 years, of whom 67% were males. The majority presented with STEMI [75%], 16% had NSTEMI, and 9% unstable angina. Visceral obesity [82%, mean waist circumference 101.43 ± 10.34 cm] was the most commonly observed risk factor, while 78% had hypercholesterolaemia [mean 5.97 ± 1.11 mmol/L] and 74% a family history of vascular disease. More males compared to females were smokers [p < 0.0001], while females were more likely to have visceral obesity, diabetes, hypertension, increased BMI, and low HDL cholesterol levels [p < 0.0001]. Young patients [≤ 45 years, n = 968] had a higher incidence of family history of vascular disease [83%, p = 0.019], smoking [79%, p = < 0.0001], and hypertriglyceridaemia [62%, p = 0.014] compared to middle [46 – 65 years, n = 2708] or old age [> 65 years, n = 742] groups, whilst older patients were more likely to have diabetes [59 %, p = 0.001], and hypertension [68 %, p = <0.0001].
Conclusion: Asian Indians in South African have multiple risk factors for ACS, possibly contributing to the increased incidence of coronary heart disease at a young age. This study further confirms that a family history of vascular disease is strongly associated with the presence of ACS, and should be incorporated in future risk factor analyses.