Britons of South Asian origin suffer the highest rates of heart disease in the UK, according to researchers at the Oxford University.
South Asians have a greater prevalence of coronary risk factors than the rest of the world, and coronary artery disease often manifests at an early age. Alongside heart diseases, South Asians also have a high prevalence of diabetes.
“The report confirms what was already generally known about ethnic differences in the burden of cardiovascular disease — that South Asians in the UK suffer more coronary heart disease than the white population.
Diabetes is also more prevalent in the South Asian population, while the black population has a higher risk of stroke. The reasons for differences between ethnic groups living in the United Kingdom are not fully understood,” Oxford University’s Peter Scarborough said.
Cardiovascular disease is now a leading cause of death in most countries globally. India too is precariously sitting on a time bomb of coronary disease as medical researchers have estimated that 60 per cent of the world’s heart disease will occur in India by the end of this year.
The study by Oxford University researchers, called Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease 2010, revealed that 27 per cent of deaths in men born in South Asia and living in the United Kingdom are from heart disease compared with 18 per cent in men born in the United Kingdom .
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Two ancient shipwrecks found in Sicily
Messina, June 29: Two ancient shipwrecks have been discovered near the Aeolian islands off the coast of the Italian island of Sicily. Using the latest technology, experts located the shipwrecks at a depth of more than 100 metres. Innovative instruments also enabled them to see the entire cargo inside one of the two vessels but it has not been revealed how old the ships are.
Local officials including Sicily’s regional representative for cultural assets, Gaetano Armao and local maritime superintendent, Sebastiano Tusa, are expected to present more details about the historic find in Palermo on Wednesday. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and from the 11th century BC, the Phoenicians settled in western Sicily and it was colonised by the Greeks in the 8th century BC.
By arrangement with AKI