America
South Asians in US more prone to heart attacks, diabetes
By
By Arun KumarWashington, July 24
South Asians in US are
more prone to heart attacks and diabetes when compared to other ethnic
groups, it was highlighted at a health congress here.
The
American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has
highlighted various preventive healthcare initiatives at the First World
Congress on Preventive Healthcare 2015 in Houston, Texas.
Aimed
at creating global awareness about preventive healthcare, the three-day
Congress held July 10-12 was part of the North American Bengali
Conference (NABC) 2015, organized by Tagore Society of Houston.
The
Congress highlighted that one American dies every 40 seconds in the US
from cardiovascular diseases. A disproportionate burden of this risk is
seen in the 3.4 million South Asians who live in the US.
The
risks for heart attacks and cardiovascular death can be up to five times
higher for South Asians when compared to other ethnic groups.
The total number of people with diabetes is projected to rise from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030.
In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the population, had diabetes and 13 percent of Asian Indians had diabetes.
While
South Asians have a one in three lifetime risk for developing
diabetes, total costs of diagnosed diabetes in the US in 2012 were $245
billion.
Dr. Sumita Chowdhury, chairperson for the Congress,
appealed to the South Asian community to help conquer the epidemics of
cardiovascular diseases and diabetes by joining the the South Asian
Cardiovascular Registry.
Bringing together all stakeholders in
healthcare to formulate a shared vision towards prevention of disease,
the Congress was intended to create sustainable measures for prevention
that can be adapted worldwide and integrated into the fabric of life.
The
forum was a way to evaluate the factors contributing to the increased
disease risk among South Asians and help to formulate awareness
campaigns to help modify risk factors that are specific to this ethnic
group.
AAPI President Dr Seema Jain, highlighted various
initiatives taken by the largest ethnic association of medical
professionals in the US, in America and in India for preventing health
risks and bringing the best healthcare to millions of people.
An
estimated 1.2 million physicians of Indian origin working around the
world have made enormous contributions to the world of healthcare, she
said.
Jain pointed out that Indian-Americans constitute less than
one percent of the population in the US, but they account for nearly
nine percent of the physicians in the country.
Serving in almost
all parts of America, they are estimated to provide healthcare to over
40 million patients in the US, she said.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])