Cardiac health risks and resources for South Asians

Excerpt from an email forwarded by Ajay naana.

Facts:
1.Regardless of gender, social class or location people from the Indian sub-continent have the world's highest rates of heart disease. This is true even when they have low traditional risk factors.

2.Even non-smoking vegetarians under 40 who exercise regularly are often at high risk.

3.Risk factors are more harmful to Indians than to others.

4.In heart disease terms: 1 cigarette smoked by an Indian is equivalent to 3 smoked by a non-Indian. 30-point rise in cholesterol is equivalent to 90-point rise in people of other ethnicities. 10 pound gained by an Indian equals 30 pounds gained by others.

Resources: Bay Area has a South Asian Heart Center located in El Camino Medical Hospital. You can sign up for screening with them. This is very important. Traditional cholesterol tests are inadequate for South Asians because they do not go beyond HDL/LDL breakup. The emerging risk factors are things like Homocysteine level, C-Reactive Protein, Lipoprotein(a) which are responsible for arterial damage.

Desirable results for South Asians:
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Total Cholesterol Less Than 150
Good cholesterol Greater Than 40
Bad cholesterol Less Than 100
Triglycerides Less Than 150

Resources : Southasianheartcenter

Address: South Asian Heart Center, El Camino Hospital, Park Pavilion, Ground Floor,
2400 Grant Road Mountain View, CA 94040.
Phone: 650.940.SAHC (650.940.7242)
Fax: 650.966.9269
Email: Info@southasianheartcenter.org

There is an excellent book written on the subject – " How to beat the heart disease epidemic among South Asians: A prevention and management guide for Asian Indians and their doctors" – By Dr. Enas A. Enas with Dr. Sudesh Kannan

After reading chapter 1 (available as free download), I found that it completely lives up to its title.

http://www.cadiresearch.com/free_download.html

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is a Global Epidemic among South Asians. CAD strikes South Asians at a four-fold rate compared to the general population. This holds true even for lifelong vegetarians who do not smoke and are not overweight.

10-12% of the South Asian population in urban areas globally and 4% in rural areas are afflicted with this disease.

By 2010, India will bear 60% of the worlds CAD burden. CAD strikes South Asians at a Younger Age, almost 33% earlier

South Asians in the United States and in urban India suffer heart attacks at an earlier age, often without prior symptoms or warning.

A study among Asian Indian men showed that half of all heart attacks in this population occur under the age of 50 years, and 25% under the age of 40.

CAD strikes South Asians Fatally. More than 30% of deaths from heart attacks in South Asians occur in those younger than 65 years of age, a rate double that of the U.S. national average.

British Heart Foundation statistics show that the death rate from coronary heart disease is 46% higher in South Asian men and 51% higher in South Asian women than the UK population as a whole. CAD is not Just a Disease for South Asian Men. South Asian women also have one of the highest mortality rates due to CAD. Recent findings from the 1990-2000 California Census data showed that all ethnic minority women were living longer except South Asian women. California Statistics: Asian Indians have the highest rates of hospitalization in California for CAD. At El Camino Hospital alone, over the past two years, a significant 5% of the patients that walked into the ER with a heart attack were South Asian, while the South Asian population of the area is just over 3%.

Message from Pritham

Visitor Name: Pritham

Dear Uncle,The web site is cool. Its so nice to look at all those family pictures and the messages. Updates about the family events is nice. Wish You A Very Happy New Year!

Thanks,
Pritham

Exchange from Lillian Dabney

Dear Somayya Kasani,

I so enjoyed knowing about your life and loves. Your elder brother was truly a wonderful human being to live his life as a freedom fighter. What a great inspiration and I can see that he truly has influence your own life. I believe that simplicity, truthfulness and straight forwardness enhance the value of human life. I believe in this as well. Our children learn from us but they teach us so much more. I too enjoy association with young people for their knowledge of the moment. Thank you so much for sharing yourself with me.

Love, Lillian

Greetings from Prakash garu

Dear Somaiah garu,
We are fine here. Wish the same for you all too.

Here's wishing you, Vijayalakshmi garu, Aparna & Kamlesh garu, Anupama & Sreenath garu, Ajay & Aparna garu and ofcourse Vikram & Vinod a "Very Happy & Prosperous New Year".
Due to some technical error, I was unable to access my mail. Pls do stay in touch.

warm regards,
-Varalakshmi & Prakash Rao

News & Views from Dear Basith

Dear esteemed sir ,

Hope this letter finds you in best of your healthand happiness. After a pretty long period I could sitin front of NET . In respect of present crisis [Can say it as crisis?]Tribunal and High court both have directed theDirector of school of Education to implement theirearlier orders . So in a near possible time, it isgoing to be settled.

I could find your JOURNAL and have felt so much of happy to know your credit worthy humanrelations for which you are fond of.It appears you are not only a good father and inspiring teacher but also a great human lover.

Woh I got your E-mail Thanx. Many Thanksto AJAY also. Looking forward to hear and read from you.

Yours lovingly,
M.A.BASITH

Varavara Rao

సముద్రం స్వేచ్ఛలో స్వేచ్ఛను వెతుక్కొంటున్న నీటిచుక్కను నేను...

Varavara Rao, popularly known as V.V was born on 3rd November 1940 in a small village (Chinna Pendyala) in Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh, India. He started writing poetry and literary criticism from college days. He was a lecturer by profession.

Varavara Rao is a renowned poet, journalist, literary critic, public speaker and essentially the voice of millions of voiceless masses in struggle in Andhra Pradesh, India.

He is reputed as a great orator and had addressed hundreds of public gatherings. He founded Srjana (creation), a forum for modern literature in Telugu in 1966. He was associated with many a progressive and revolutionary journal in Telugu.

Varavara Rao has published nine poetry collections of his own besides editing a number of poetry anthologies. His poetry collections are: Chali Negallu (Camp Fires, 1968), Jeevanaadi (Pulse, 1970), Ooregimpu (Procession, 1973), Swechcha (Freedom, 1978), Samudram (Ocean, 1983), Bhavishyathu Chitrapatam (Portrait of the Future, 1986), Muktakantam (Free Throat, 1990), Aa Rojulu (Those Days, 1998), and Unnadedo Unnattu (As it is, 2000).

His poetry has been translated into almost all Indian languages. Besides a number of articles on particular occasions, his thesis on ‘Telangana Liberation Struggle and Telugu Novel – A Study into Interconnection between Society and Literature’ (1983) is considered to be landmark in Marxist literary criticism in Telugu. He also translated Ngugi wa Thiongo’s prison diary and novel Devil on the Cross into Telugu, besides writing his own diary Sahacharulu (1990).

These writings of Varavara Rao speak volumes of his strong bond with the people and his dedicated belief in people’s struggle for better life.

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mithrulu somaiah gariki,

meeru saddam pai pampinchina basith poem chadivaanu..baagundhi...ivaala andhra jyothi lo chusaara? 13,14 jan na virasam sahitya paatashaala kurnool lo undhi..bahusha basith ni akkada kalusthaamu..ippadike ikkada telugu lo saddam pai oka pustakanni minchina kavithalu vacchai...nenu naalugu raasanu...

aparna,ajay,anupama baagunnara?
mee sahachari baagunnara?

prematho V V

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Dear Sir, Good Morning.

I am following the News at our Home-land. I am in regular touch with a few teachers from Warangal, who are my friends. Mr. Basith is one among them. He writes good poems occasionally. He wrote one on 1st January on Saddam. I am forwarding it to you now.

With love, Somayya Kasani