Coronary heart disease risks in Asian Indians.

An increased prevalence of coronary heart disease in Asian Indian both from the native country and the immigrant population has been known for some time. With around 15,000,000 Asian Indians living outside India including 1,500,000 in the UK and 1,000,000 in the US, various pathogenic factors have attracted great interest in the recent past. Prevention strategies have been recommended based on these findings. Insulin resistance, central obesity and lipid abnormalities such as high triglyceride levels, low HDL levels and high lipoprotein(a) levels have been documented. This predisposition to accelerated atherosclerosis is genetically determined but is being enhanced by change in lifestyle, or 'westernization'. An increased prevalence of coronary heart disease because of these changes in lifestyle is seen in India itself, where differences are found between urban and rural populations. This tendency seems to be noticed early in life, and hence the need for early prevention strategies are discussed.