A study done by doctors from a hospital’s department of cardiology and radiology in Delhi discovered that Indians had an elevated risk of Coronary Artery Disease (Heart Disease) not because of their smaller artery widths, but because of their lower Body Surface Area.
The research, which included 250 patients, was published in the Journal of the Indian College of Cardiology on September 14, 2022. The findings contradict the belief that Indians are more prone to Coronary Artery Disease because their arteries are smaller in width.
“We discovered that 51% were hypertensive, 18% were diabetic, 4% were smokers, 28% were dyslipidemic, and 26% had a family history of Heart Disease,” Dr. J.P.S Sawhney, Author and Chairman of the Department of Cardiology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, stated.
“The study discovered that men’ mean vessel diameters were substantially bigger than females’, but when indexed to Body Surface Area, these values were not significant.” Because of their narrow coronary artery diameters, Asians, particularly Indians, were thought to be at a higher risk of atherosclerosis (fatty deposits in arteries).
Our observational study, however, demonstrated that the coronary artery dimensions in the Indian population are not tiny, but this is attributable to their short Body Surface Area. As a result, the reasoning for small artery dimensions being a risk factor for Coronary Artery Disease is invalid in the Indian population,” he added.
“The purpose of this study was to assess the size of normal coronary arteries in the Indian population, relate it to BSA, and determine whether there is a significant difference when compared to the Caucasian population.”
This study may potentially provide light on the use of diameters indexed to BSA as a threshold for determining the necessity for revascularization (a procedure that can restore blood flow in blocked arteries or veins), “Dr. Bhuvnesh Kandpal, Author and Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital,” he stated.
