CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE IN ASIANS

From available studies, there appears to be a racial preponderance of coronary artery disease (CAD) among Indians when compared to other ethnic groups. We found that this racial difference exists even in a young Asian population with premature atherosclerosis. In this small series, these racial differences could not be explained by the commonly known risk factors for coronary artery disease - smoking, hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia, findings similar to those found in older patients elsewhere. Only fasting triglyceride levels were significantly higher among young Indians compared to non Indians (p < 0.02) although the importance of this finding as a risk factor for CAD remains controversial. The majority of these young patients were treated medically and their one year survival was good.