Indians are more likely to face premature death due to heart attacks and strokes owing to genetic factors as compared to people of other nationalities, according to doctors in the UAE.
Several studies have indicated that Indians are more likely to be affected by this problem at an earlier age as compared to Westerners, said Dinesh Babu, consultant of cardiovascular disease at Medeor Hospital Abu Dhabi in UAE.
In the West, the onset of heart diseases usually occurs in the 60-70 age group but in the Indian subcontinent, heart disease sets in people in their 40s and 50s. Studies conducted on Indians living in the US, Canada, Europe and Singapore have established this, said Babu.
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Very high incidences of heart disease and stroke have been reported in Indians at an early age, he said.
Statistics show that cardiovascular diseases, including strokes and heart attacks, are the two major causes of premature loss of life.
The underlying reason for both health crises is due to the narrowing of these blood vessels owing to cholesterol deposits.
The condition is due to the gene behaviour that posits higher cholesterol deposits than normal as a result of which blockages are more common, said Babu.
Pakistanis and Bangladeshis also have almost the same genetic profile but Indians being the largest community in the UAE, more cases naturally are reported from them, he said.
“Genetically speaking, people from the subcontinent have smaller arteries. This compounds the problem of cholesterol deposit,” said Paul S Thoppil, an interventional cardiologist at NMC Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
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