Men in U.P 2.5 times more prone to CVD than women: Study

A new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine finds that men in Uttar Pradesh, India, are at two and a half times higher risk of developing heart disease or cardiovascular disease (CVD) as compared to women.

Pascal Geldsetzer, Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., and colleagues conducted the study to determine how CVD risk—and the factors that determine risk—varies among states in India, by rural-urban location, and by individual-level sociodemographic characteristics.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in India. Yet, there is a limited evidence on the CVD risk of India’s population. Understanding how CVD risk varies among India’s population groups could inform health system planning and the targeting of CVD programs to those most in need.

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The cross-sectional study calculated the average 10-year risk of CVD event for Indians. The analysis, pooled data from 7.9 lakh participants aged 30 to 74 years. These came from two large population-based household surveys, which jointly covered 27 of 29 states and 5 of 7 Union territories in India.

Key Findings:

• The average 10-year risk of a fatal/non-fatal CVD event varied widely among states in India, ranging from 13.2% in Jharkhand to 19.5% in Kerala.


• In addition, adults living in urban areas, as well as those with a higher household wealth or education, tend to have a greater CVD risk.


• About the trend in UP, the study noted that smoking was the culprit. Researchers noted that against 2.5% women, 32.9% men in UP smoked.


• Presence of other risk factors such as diabetes was more or less common (4.7% of women and 5.2% of men had diabetes).

Dr. Rishi Sethi, a faculty member in the department of cardiology at King George’s Medical University, told TOI that cardiac problem in India was much bigger than in other parts of the world.

“Firstly, the disease affects a much younger population. Secondly, it appears with more severe symptoms and complications as compared to the west. Also, the risk of death due to a cardiac event is 1.5 times more than that in the US or UK,” he said, pressing for the promotion of preventive strategies, particularly lifestyle modification for larger public interest.

For further information follow the link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002581