Long-term prognosis of south Asians following acute coronary syndromes.

Background South Asians (SAs) have a higher prevalence of coronary artery disease than Caucasians. The long-term prognosis following acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in SA compared with non-SA patients is unclear. Objectives To compare the long-term adverse cardiovascular outcomes between SA and non-SA patients who have ACS. Methods A case-control study of 65 consecutive SA patients admitted with ACS to the McGill University Health Centre (Montreal, Quebec) between 1995 and 2000 was conducted. Control subjects included 65 non-SA patients admitted to the same hospital with ACS matched by age, sex and year of hospitalization. Results The mean±SD age was 59.7±9.9 years and 12% of patients were women. There were more cases of diabetes mellitus among the SA patients than non-SA patients (43% versus 23%, respectively). Only 19% of SA patients were active smokers, compared with 34% of non-SA patients. At one year, 35% of SA patients had undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery, compared with 22% of non-SA patients. One-year mortality was increased among the SA patients compared with the non-SA patients (6% versus 2%, respectively). However, SA ethnicity was not an independent predictor of one-year adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Conclusions The present study demonstrated an increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus among the SA patients with ACS compared with non-SA patients. SA patients had increased one-year mortality compared with non-SA patients. However, SA ethnicity was not an independent predictor of one-year mortality and coronary intervention.