South Asian Heart Health
We offer culturally tailored care for the unique heart health needs of South Asian Americans.
UCLA Health Excellence in South Asian Heart Health
UCLA Health is the only medical center in Southern California providing customized heart health services for the unique needs of people of South Asian descent. South Asian Americans are three to four times more likely to develop and die from heart disease (and at a younger age) than white Americans or other U.S. ethnic groups.
We manage heart disease risk factors and develop personalized care plans. Highlights of our program include:
South Asian heart expertise: Our board-certified doctors have decades of experience managing heart disease risk factors affecting South Asian Americans. We understand these unique health challenges and offer personalized services that improve heart health.
Dedicated preventive services: Our Preventive Cardiology and Cardiometabolic Health Program provides evidence-based care. We offer culturally sensitive nutrition, exercise and lifestyle support that prevents or improves diabetes, high cholesterol and other heart disease risk factors.
Specialized diagnostic tests: Our team understands that certain conditions, such as diabetes and high cholesterol, affect South Asian Americans differently. We perform comprehensive tests, often at an early age, to identify risk factors and start prompt interventions.
Advanced treatments: Our doctors expertly perform heart procedures on smaller arteries, a trait common in people from South Asia. This deep knowledge of structural differences enables us to perform complex procedures on patients that other centers turn away.
Team approach: Our heart specialists partner with experts in diabetes and metabolic disorders (endocrinology), kidney care (nephrology), behavioral health and other fields to provide comprehensive care that improves heart health.
Care from anywhere: Our team offers telehealth appointments and second opinions for referring physicians and patients worldwide.
Award-winning health care: UCLA Health is ranked among the “Best in the West” in cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report. Many of our heart specialists are featured in Los Angeles Magazine’s “Top Doctors” and “Super Doctors” of Southern California.
Who Needs Our South Asian Heart Health Program?
Our South Asian Heart Health Program is for people descended from:
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- India
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
We help patients understand and manage heart disease risk factors that cause heart attacks and other cardiac conditions. Our cardiologists specialize in treating South Asian Americans who have:
- Heart disease risk factors, including diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle
- A desire to improve their heart health
- Been diagnosed with heart disease or a previous heart attack
- A family history of heart disease or heart attack at a young age
- Recently had a test with a diagnosis of heart disease and need guidance about the management
Conditions We Treat
People of South Asian descent are more likely to develop conditions that lead to heart disease up to 10 years earlier than other ethnic groups.
We help prevent and manage conditions such as:
Coronary artery disease (CAD): South Asian Americans are more likely to develop severe CAD at a young age . Blockages in the coronary arteries can reduce blood flow to the heart, causing a heart attack.
Diabetes: South Asian Americans are up to four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, even if they don’t have excess weight. Genetic factors, poor pancreas function, abdominal fat and fat in the liver contribute to this increased risk.
High blood pressure (hypertension): South Asian Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure at a young age, even without excess weight.
High lipids: South Asian Americans often have higher levels of triglycerides (a type of fat or lipid) and lower levels of HDL (a healthy cholesterol or lipid), even at a normal weight. They also have higher levels of lipoprotein (a), or Lp(a ), which increases the risk for blood clots and strokes. At UCLA, you will have a comprehensive lipid evaluation by physicians who are experts.
Metabolic syndrome: Many South Asian Americans have excess abdominal fat, in addition to high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. These combined conditions, known as metabolic syndrome, can damage the heart.
Tests and Treatments We Offer
We use many of the same diagnostic tests other people get to detect heart disease risk factors and heart disease. However, our doctors consider risk factors unique to South Asian Americans when reviewing test findings and developing a care plan.
For instance, South Asian Americans who are younger or not overweight can still have high cholesterol or diabetes — even when those levels fall within the normal range for others. A family history of early heart attack or heart disease is also a significant risk factor. Our doctors recognize these distinctions and start treatments sooner to protect heart health.
We recommend screening for heart disease risk factors as early as age 18. Ongoing monitoring from an early age allows our team to identify risk factors and start treatment before there’s damage to the heart and blood vessels.
Heart tests
Patients may undergo testing through our Preventive Cardiology and Cardiometabolic Health Program. Tests may include:
- Blood glucose test to check for prediabetes or diabetes
- Coronary calcium imaging to detect plaque buildup in the arteries
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) to evaluate heartbeat strength, speed and rhythm
- Lipid panel (blood test) to measure cholesterol levels, specifically Lp(a)
- Stress test to monitor the heart during physical activity or stress
Preventive heart care
Our specialists work with you to develop a customized preventive plan that improves heart health. This care plan may include:
Education: We provide information that helps you prevent or manage heart disease risk factors.
Exercise plan: South Asian Americans genetically have less muscle and more fat . Our exercise specialists develop a program that combines aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises. We help you get and stay active.
Medications: Our doctors may prescribe medications to improve your cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.
Nutrition guidance: Experts at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition can review your eating habits and work with you to create a healthy diet plan.
Tobacco cessation: If you use tobacco products, we can connect you with specialists who can help you stop.
Heart procedures
Some heart conditions may require minimally invasive (catheter-based) or surgical procedures. These procedures can be more challenging because coronary arteries in people of South Asian descent are often smaller than in other ethnic groups and may have diffuse blockages. It can be more difficult to place stents or perform other procedures to open or bypass diseased arteries.
Our highly skilled interventional cardiologists and heart surgeons are experts in treating South Asian Americans. They have the skill set to help patients that other centers turn away due to high risk factors or procedure complexity. Our team is dedicated to pioneering new treatment approaches for South Asian Americans.
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Our Expert Team
Contact Us
Call to request an appointment with a South Asian Heart Health specialist at UCLA Health.
Find Your Care
Our cardiologists manage heart disease risk factors unique to South Asian Americans. To learn more about our South Asian Heart Health Program, call