Since many South Asians develop heart disease at least 10 to 15 years earlier than most other ethnic groups*, screening needs to be done as early as possible. This involves making an appointment to see your doctor, who will evaluate your risk factors. Knowing details about your family history will also help your doctor in assessing your overall risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Four important measures of heart attack risk are discussed below. Keep in mind that apart from reducing heart attack risk, managing these risk factors can also reduce a person's risk for stroke as well as memory loss from conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

• Cholesterol
  
• Blood Sugar
  
• Blood Pressure
  
• Body Size
  
• Metabolic Syndrome
  
• Smoking
  
• Stress/Depression

If you are South Asian, speak with your personal physician about your specific risk factors for hyperlipidemia, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

If you are a new patient of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), use our Find Doctors database to find a doctor.

* Risk Factors for Early Myocardial Infarction in South Asians Compared With Individuals in Other Countries
Prashant Joshi; Shofiqul Islam; Prem Pais; Srinath Reddy; Prabhakaran Dorairaj; Khawar Kazmi; Mrigendra Raj Pandey; Sirajul Haque; Shanthi Mendis; Sumathy Rangarajan; Salim Yusuf
JAMA. 2007;297:286-294.