Coronary Artery Disease risk factors among Bangladeshi immigrant men living in Houston, TX

Higher incidence (1.5 times) of CAD was reported in Southeast Asian immigrants, including Bangladeshis, compared to their European counterparts. This ongoing study analyzed CAD risk factors in Bangladeshi immigrant men 35 years and older living in Houston, TX. Results from 50 participants showed a mean (SD) age of 46 (SD-9). Serum analysis reported a mean fasting glucose of 108 (SD-29), total cholesterol of 202 (SD-39) (range 109-319), Triglyceride of 174 (SD-100) (range 56-694), HDL of 47 (SD-9), and LDL of 133 (SD-35) (range 51-215). Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 126 (SD-14) and 83 (SD-9). Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol were 30%, 24%, 4% and 42% respectively. Twenty six percent reported “never” doing any exercise, while 14% reported some exercise at least once a week. Family history of CAD in parents was reported by 40% of the participants. A declining trend of smoking was noticeable (22% current and 58% past smoker) in the participants. Forty out of the 70% perceiving to be at risk thought the risk was low for developing CAD in them. Yet, 78% reported an interesting tradition of consuming very high fatty meal (Biriany) at least twice a month. HDL was negatively associated (â = -0.44) with BMI (Mean 25, SD-3) (p = 0.002). High triglyceride and serum glucose may be related to the high carbohydrate and fatty diet reported by the participants. This and the dyslipidemia may indicate risk of metabolic syndrome that needs to be addressed in this population.