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The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has highlighted that South Asians are five times more likely to die of heart attacks and cardiovascular diseases and more prone to diabetes compared to other ethnic groups.
As part of the North American Bengali Conference, the First World Congress on Preventive Healthcare 2015 was held in Houston, Texas, to highlight various preventive healthcare initiatives.
Risk of cardiovascular diseases
The highlight was every 40 seconds, one American dies in the U.S. from cardiovascular diseases. Whereas, in the 3.4 million South Asians living in the US, an unbalanced burden of this risk is seen.
Diabetes risk
It is estimated that a total number of people suffering from diabetes to increase from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030.
Around 29.1 million Americans or 9.3% of the total population had diabetes, while 13% of Asian Indians had the disease in 2012. One in three South Asians has risk of developing Diabetis. In 2012, an amount of $245 billion costed in total for diagnosed diabetes.
Vision to prevent cardiovascular diseases and diabetes
Chairperson for the Congress, Dr. Sumita Chowdhury, appealed the South Asian community to join the South Asian Cardiovascular Registry to beat cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and diabetes.
All stakeholders in healthcare were brought together to formulate a shared vision in order to prevent the disease. The intention behind the congress was to create awareness and substantial preventive measures that could be integrated into lives and adapted across the globe.
-Sumana
