Indians facing Coronary Artery Disease due to smaller body surface area, not artery diameter: Study

Indians face an increased risk of suffering Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) not because of smaller diameter of their arteries, but because of their smaller body surface area, according to a new study.

The study was conducted by researchers from the departments of cardiology and radiology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on 250 patients and published in Journal of Indian College of Cardiology on September 14.

The results are contrary to the general public perception that Indians are at a higher risk of suffering CAD due to smaller diameter of arteries, a statement from the hospital said.

According to Dr Ashwani Mehta, author and senior consultant at the hospital's cardiology department, ''The study found that the mean vessel diameters for males were significantly larger than those for females, but when indexed to body surface area, the values were not significant.'' Dr Mehta said there had been an assumption that Asians, particularly Indians, had increased risk for atherosclerosis (fatty deposit in arteries) because of smaller artery diameters.

''However, from our observational study, it is proved that CAD in Indian population it is due to their small body surface area. Thus, the assumption that smaller dimensions of arteries being a risk factor for CAD is not valid,'' he asserted.