Stefler, D;
Bhopal, R;
Fischbacher, CM;
(2012)
Might infection explain the higher risk of coronary heart disease in South Asians? Systematic review comparing prevalence rates with white populations in developed countries.
Public Health
, 126
(5)
pp. 397-409.
10.1016/j.puhe.2012.01.033.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: South Asians in developed countries such as the UK are at comparatively high risk of coronary heart disease for reasons which are not fully understood. One unexplored hypothesis is more infections in this ethnic group. This study assessed whether the prevalence of infections among South Asians differs from that among White populations of European origin in developed countries. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: Medline, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases were searched. In addition, reference lists and citations were reviewed. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies reported prevalence rates and mean antibody levels of infection with 17 different pathogens or non-specific markers of infection. Among bacterial infections, higher rates of Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection were found in South Asians. No consistent differences were found for periodontal pathogens, Helicobacter pylori, Staphylococcus aureus, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycobacterium avium. For viral pathogens, higher rates of hepatitis A, hepatitis B and cytomegalovirus; and lower rates of herpes simplex, hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus and varicella zoster virus were found among South Asians. No difference was seen in the prevalence of hepatitis G virus in South Asians. Levels of non-specific markers of infection (total immunoglobulin G, endotoxin) were higher in South Asians. CONCLUSIONS: The number of studies was small. Differences in the prevalence of specific infections were found, but the current evidence is insufficient to support or reject the hypothesis under examination. Further studies are warranted.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Might infection explain the higher risk of coronary heart disease in South Asians? Systematic review comparing prevalence rates with white populations in developed countries |
| Location: | Netherlands |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.puhe.2012.01.033 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2012.01.033 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Asia, Southeastern, Asian Continental Ancestry Group, Bacterial Infections, Coronary Disease, European Continental Ancestry Group, Humans, Infection, Prevalence, Risk, Virus Diseases |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1487068 |
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