In Britain, the rate of coronary heart disease is higher in South Asians and lower in Afro-Caribbeans than in Europeans. However, stroke is more common in both South Asians and Afro-Caribbeans than in Europeans.

Professor Nishi Chaturvedi (Imperial College London) has been awarded a programme grant in partnership with the British Heart Foundation to investigate why these differences might exist. This programme will include measurement of the mortality and morbidity of survivors from the Southall and Brent studies, the largest and longest running British tri-ethnic cohort (baseline measurements for which were taken in 1989-91).

The research aims to identify the thresholds of cardiovascular risk in different ethnic groups, so that doctors know when treatments are needed, and to improve the diagnosis of diabetes.