Prescribing of lipid lowering drugs to South Asian patients: ecological study

Coronary heart disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in the South Asian population in the United Kingdom, and its incidence is higher than in the white population.1 This excess risk seems to be determined by a combination of metabolic factors leading to the insulin resistance syndrome, psychosocial factors, and established risk factors.2 Ten out of 15 coronary risk factors measured were reported to be higher in South Asian patients than in their European counterparts, and several of these factors are believed to reflect relative deprivation. South Asian people are also at risk owing to high triglyceride concentrations and low concentrations of high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Although substantial evidence shows the value of lowering cholesterol in people at risk, studies have shown that many patients are not receiving appropriate treatment.3 We investigated the relation …