Ischemic heart disease among South Asians with ischaemic stroke in three countries across two continents: the BRAINS study
Ken-Dror, Gie Sureshkumar, Prianka Han, Thang S Sharma, Sapna D Sylaja, Padmavathy N Khan, Fahmi Yousef Prasad, Kameshwar Sharma, Pankaj
Ken-Dror, Gie
Sureshkumar, Prianka
Han, Thang S
Sharma, Sapna D
Sylaja, Padmavathy N
Khan, Fahmi Yousef
Prasad, Kameshwar
Sharma, Pankaj
Affiliation
University of London; Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology; Hamad Medical Corporation; All India Institute of Medical Sciences; Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust; Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Other Contributors
Abdus Sami, Eman
Al Hail, Hassan
Al Hussein, Hassan
Ali, Musab
Amlani, Sageet
Balogun, Ibrahim
Carr, Peter
Cohen, David L
Deleu, Dirk
Goorah, Neetish
Gunathilagan, Gunaratnam
Hassan, Ahamad
Ispoglou, Sissi
Javaid, Khalid
Lawrence, Enas
Maguire, Stuart
Maheshwari, Ankita
Osman Abuzaid, Hassan
Parry, Anthea
Rajkumar, Chakravarthi
Ram Sharma, Shri
Sekaran, Lakshmanan
Sharif, Khalid
Singh, Ravneeta
Syed, Hafiz
Wharton, Chris
Al Hail, Hassan
Al Hussein, Hassan
Ali, Musab
Amlani, Sageet
Balogun, Ibrahim
Carr, Peter
Cohen, David L
Deleu, Dirk
Goorah, Neetish
Gunathilagan, Gunaratnam
Hassan, Ahamad
Ispoglou, Sissi
Javaid, Khalid
Lawrence, Enas
Maguire, Stuart
Maheshwari, Ankita
Osman Abuzaid, Hassan
Parry, Anthea
Rajkumar, Chakravarthi
Ram Sharma, Shri
Sekaran, Lakshmanan
Sharif, Khalid
Singh, Ravneeta
Syed, Hafiz
Wharton, Chris
Publication date
2025-02-19
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
Background: Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and cardiometabolic risk factors have been extensively investigated in those of European descent, yet they are more common among South Asians who make up around 20% of the world's population. We explored the differences in IHD and cumulative metabolic profile in South Asians with stroke living in the UK, India and Qatar, compared with white British stroke patients.
Methods: The study included first-ever ischemic stroke white British patients and South Asians living in UK, India and Qatar from the ongoing large Bio-Repository of DNA in Stroke (BRAINS) international hospital-based stroke study.
Results: We analysed 4359 patients of which 1575 were white British (WB) UK residents, 1135 British South Asians (BSA), 1084 South Asians in India (ISA), and 565 South Asians in Qatar (QSA). Stroke patients from BSA and ISA background had a 9.5% (95%CI: 6.2-12.9, P<0.001) and 15.8% (95%CI: 13.1-28.9, P<0.001) higher prevalence of IHD respectively, compared to WB patients. Adjusting for traditional stroke risk factors, BSA patients continued to display an increased association of IHD compared to WB patients: OR=1.59 (95%CI: 1.25-2.02, P<0.001). Among South Asian ethnicity, compared to ISA, BSA had an almost twice the association of IHD: OR=1.83 (95%CI: 1.37-2.45, P<0.001). The OR for the presence of 2, or ≥3 cumulative cardiometabolic risk factors was 2.55 (95%CI: 2.02-3.23, P<0.001), and 3.86 (95%CI: 3.02-4.95, P<0.001) for South Asians (ISA, BSA, QSA) compared to WB patients, respectively.
Conclusion: South Asian ischaemic stroke immigrants have a higher prevalence of IHD as well as more cumulative cardiometabolic risk factors compared to those who remain on the subcontinent. Countries with large immigrant South Asian populations should focus public health campaigns to mitigate their high cardiometabolic risk profiles.
Citation
Ken-Dror G, Sureshkumar P, Han TS, Sharma SD, Sylaja PN, Khan FY, Prasad K, Sharma P; BRAINS collaborators. Ischemic heart disease among South Asians with ischaemic stroke in three countries across two continents: the BRAINS study. Ann Epidemiol. 2025 Mar;103:48-54. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2025.02.006. Epub 2025 Feb 19.
Type
Article