Title : Stroke in South Asians
Abstract:
Stroke is the third commonest cause of death in the West yet by the year 2050 the WHO predicts that 80% of its occurrence will lay between India and China. These two most globally populous nations are home to an aging people with increasing risk factors for all cardiovascular diseases. The UK is home to the largest South Asian population outside of India. This group present later with cardiovascular disease and are a greater burden to the National Health Service compared to their Caucasian counterparts. We have created, to the best of our knowledge, the largest DNA biobank of stroke in South Asians having recruited affected patients and controls from site in the UK, India, Sri Lanka and the Middle East. We present the epidemiological findings of our data and compare and contrast our findings with those of Caucasians. This presentation is a prelude to the identification of genetic loci in stroke in South Asians.
Audience take away:
• Stroke is more common in the South Asian population who are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease
• Their management for such disease needs to be more aggressive compared to their Caucasian counterparts
• Stroke has a likely genetic component
