Clinical Profile of Acute Coronary Syndrome Presentation to the Ladysmith Provincial Hospital: High Prevalence Among the Minority Indian Population

Background Cardiovascular diseases were responsible for 17% of the 460236 natural deaths in South Africa in 2015. Previous studies have reported a disproportionately higher incidence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and its risk factors among individuals of Indian descent residing in South Africa. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical profile of patients presenting with a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to compare the characteristics of patients of Indian descent to those of non-Indian descent. Methods Retrospective data were derived from the medical charts of 160 consecutive patients presenting to the Ladysmith Provincial Hospital over a 44-month period with a diagnosis of ACS. Findings were described and compared. Results The mean (SD) age of study patients was 55.8 (±12.8) years. The majority of subjects were male (n=90, 56.3%) and unemployed (n=98, 62.3%). The racial distribution of the study sample comprised 103 (64.4%) Indian, 36 (22.5%) Black, and 21 (13.1%) White subjects. Compared to non-Indian subjects, a significantly higher proportion (p<0.05) of Indian subjects were male (64.7% vs 41.4%), cigarette smokers (52.0% vs 32.8%), had a previous history of ACS (37.3% vs 10.3%), were diabetic (33.3% vs 17.2%), and were hypertensive (58.8% vs 29.3%). Conclusion The disproportionately high frequency of ACS among the minority Indian population of Ladysmith is concerning. There is a need for rigorous public health interventions to create local awareness, encourage lifestyle modification, and thereby improve control of cardiovascular risk factors, especially among high-risk population groups.