October 01, 2012
Light shines on ethnicity risk
We
reveal that a significant proportion of UK Asian and African
Caribbean communities don’t realise their ethnicity makes them
more at risk of heart and circulatory disease.
Nearly half of UK Asians don’t realise they’re
at higher risk of developing diabetes and one in four
African Caribbean adults don’t realise
they’re at higher risk of both diabetes and high blood
pressure.
Some UK Asians have a higher risk of developing heart disease
than the general population and they are more than twice as likely
to develop diabetes – a major risk factor for heart disease.
African Caribbean communities are twice as
likely to have a stroke as people of European
origin. They also have the highest risk of high blood
pressure of any ethnic minority in the UK, and
they’re more than twice as likely to develop
diabetes than the general UK population.
Our Associate Medical Director, Dr
Mike Knapton, said:
“The fact many people in these communities
don’t realise their ethnicity increases their risk of health
problems that can then put their heart health on the line is very
worrying.
“The good news is that you can make simple
changes to your lifestyle, such as reducing the amount of salt you
eat and getting more active to help you lead a long and healthy
life. The challenge now is to make sure these communities take on
board just how important these changes could be.”
Find out more about your heart risk
Depending on your ethnic origin, your risks of heart disease and
stroke are different. Find out more about how you can manage your
risk, if you are: