Via Research Recognition Day Program VCOM-Carolinas 2025

Clinical Educational Research

Risk Factors for Developing Cardiovascular Disease of South Asian-American Populations Faith Baxter, B.A. 1 , Mariyam Farooqi, B.S., M.A. 2 , Jawad Khan, B.S., M.A. 3 , Rehan Khan B.S., M.A. 4 , Dr. Doralyn Jones, DO 5 1. Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – VCOM, Spartanburg, South Carolina

Co-authorship should be given to collaborators such as a Statistician, who have made intellectual contribution in terms of writing, Mentor should be named last in list.

Introduction

Results

Discussion

Table 1. Mentioned risk factors identified in South Asian American for CVD. T2DM was the most identified risk.

South Asians living in the United States suffer from a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) when compared to other races. Despite having lower rates of obesity compared to the average American, the risk and incidence of CVD in South Asian Americans remains high. This population displays an increase in mortality from myocardial infarctions by 40%, and a four-times increase in atherosclerotic disease compared to other ethnicities. The onset of this disease occurs at a younger age due to various genetic, lifestyle, and cultural factors. These factors make South Asians a complex health group that makes up nearly 60% of the world's CVD patients (Masireddy, McCann 2024). Despite this disparity, there are few guidelines placed to address these disparities. The goal of this research is to identify the greatest contributing factor leading to the higher rates of CVD in South Asian Americans. Meta-analysis was used to assess the greatest contributing factor leading to the higher rates of cardiovascular disease in South Asians. The following criteria was used when gathering information: - Used articles from trusted academic journals and databases such as (Pub Med, NCBI, etc). - Limited to articles published after 2010 - Used a minimum of 15 articles - Included key words when searching such as: South Asian Americans, cardiovascular health, risk factors, health disparities, causes of CVD - Excluded articles that were based on South Asian health in countries other than the United States. Methods

• "US adults" by the USPSTF does not factor in ethnic Americans • Current BMI markers are inadequate and fail to recognize potential type 2 diabetes in South Asian populations who either have a normal BMI or are considered underweight. • Equity-based approach, rather than an equality-based approach should be taken to identify T2DM in South Asian Americans. • Start screening for South Asian Americans at a BMI lower than 23 kg/m 2 • Starting to screen at an age below 45 for this population • Education over healthy lifestyle habits at every appointment to make this young population aware of their increases risk Further research would implement a study that screens at various ages to determine at which age screening is most beneficial in detecting T2DM. If T2DM is diagnosed and treated early, it may decrease CVD in South Asian Americans. Conclusions

Table 2. Age screenings for White Americans occur 7 years before diagnosis versus 1 year in South Asian Americans.

Table 3. BMI screenings for White Americans 2.5 BMIs before diagnosis versus 1 BMI in South Asian Americans

References

Acknowledgements

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that T2DM screening in Asian Americans with a BMI ≥ 23 kg/m 2 . The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening US adults for diabetes with a BMI of 25 kg/ m 2 or greater (Gujral, 2022).

2025 Research Recognition Day

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