AAPI keen on creating awareness on the rising cases of heart disease among South Asians – indica News

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The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), the largest ethnic medical organization in the United State, recently organized a special event to bring awareness to the rising cases of cardiovascular diseases among the South Asian diaspora.

South Asians make up 25 percent of the worlds population but they contribute 50 percent to global cardiovascular deaths.

The event was conducted virtually on Saturday, October 16, and was presented by two eminent speakers and experts, Dr. Enas Enas and Dr. Amit Kera.

President of AAPI, Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, in her welcome speech, highlighted the growing epidemic heart diseases due to unhealthy lifestyle and called out for the need to create a global awareness.

Today is World Restart a Heart Day. Todays conference is being organized to educate and create awareness about the major health issue faced by South Asians and offer ways to mitigate heart disease, Dr. Gotimukula said.

Dr. Enas came forward to give a deeper insight on the History and Magnitude of Heart Disease Among South Asians.

He pointed out that 185,000 people of South Asian origin die of heart disease per year as against 15,000 Whites die of the same health issue. He specifically noted that Indians have a big problem with premature heart disease.

Dr. Enas, is a reputable cardiologist from Chicago and also Director of CADI Coronary artery disease in Indians

He is the first cardiologist to sound the alarm on the strikingly high rates and malignant nature of heart disease among Indians in the US and around the globe. He is also the first physician to identify and report a genetic predisposition to CAD in Asian Indians, mediated through lipoprotein(a) a genetic variant of LDL cholesterol.

Dr. Amit Kera, a new rising star in Preventive Cardiology, built on that argument and presented genomic data to fill the gap. He is a physician-scientist with expertise in epidemiology, clinical medicine, and human genetics.

Dr. Kera He advocated for the need for our own data base and especially genomic data to go beyond coronary calcium score and use Polygenic score, which can predict even more accurately the risk of heart disease individually what he calls Precision Medicine.

Dr. Brahma Sharma, Senior Faculty at the University of Pittsburgh affiliated Medical Center, a co-host and moderator of the event, said, While we are still trying to figure out different mechanisms for this enigma, that should not prevent but rather motivate to follow more aggressively life style modifications and pre-empt and prevent this silent epidemic that is taking a toll on young Indians and South Asians globally.

Dr. Sharma, serves as the Chair of AAPI South Asian Heart Disease Committee and as the Chair AHA/ AAPI Liaison.

As the adage goes, Prevention is better than cure, said Dr. Gotimukula in her closing remarks. She urged her fellow doctors and contemporaries to raise the awareness to the highest level and create a community that foster healthy lifestyle.

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AAPI keen on creating awareness on the rising cases of heart disease among South Asians - indica News