If you’re Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or Sri Lankan, your risk of heart disease is significantly higher than average, and it tends to show up earlier in life. This isn’t about lifestyle alone. It’s largely genetic and runs in families. Dr Pinakin V Parekh, a cardiologist of South Asian heritage himself, sees this pattern often in his patients at Trident Heart Centre in Farrer Park, right in the heart of Singapore’s South Asian community, and recommends this group start heart screening earlier than most general guidelines suggest.

Why South Asians Face a Higher Risk of Heart Disease

If you’re of South Asian background, here’s something worth knowing: this isn’t a small statistical difference. It’s a well-documented pattern seen across the world.

• People of South Asian descent face a substantially higher risk of heart disease than the general population (Source: American College of Cardiology).
• A major UK study found South Asian men are almost twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease as white European men, even after accounting for other risk factors.  (Source: British Heart Foundation)
• Heart disease also tends to strike up to a decade earlier in South Asians compared to other groups (Source: Circulation)

The Genetic and Family History Factor

This isn’t simply about diet or lifestyle choices. A large part of this risk is believed to be genetic — passed down through families, regardless of how healthy someone’s day-to-day habits are. This is why South Asian ethnicity itself is now recognised as a specific risk factor in international cholesterol and cardiology guidelines, not just a side note.

If you have a parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or grandparent who had a heart attack, bypass surgery, or a stent, especially at a relatively young age, that family history matters more for you than it would for someone without South Asian heritage.

Why Heart Disease Often Strikes Earlier in This Community

Perhaps the most important thing to understand: this isn’t only a concern for people in their 60s and 70s.

• A significant share of heart attacks in South Asians occur before age 50
• Symptoms and warning signs can appear years earlier than in the general population
• Many people feel “too young” or “too healthy-looking” to be at risk, which is exactly what makes this group easy to underestimate

Risk Factors Beyond Genetics

Genetics loads the risk, but a few other common patterns in South Asian communities add to it.

Diet, Diabetes, and Metabolic Risk

• South Asians have significantly higher rates of Type 2 diabetes than other ethnic groups, even at a similar body weight, and diabetes is one of the strongest drivers of heart disease
• Traditional diets, while rich in flavour, can be higher in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats, especially alongside modern, less physically active lifestyles
• Body fat in South Asians tends to gather more around the abdomen and organs, which carries a higher heart risk than the same weight distributed elsewhere, even in people who don’t look overweight

Why Standard Risk Calculators Can Underestimate Risk

Many common heart risk calculators were built using data from Western populations. For South Asians, these tools can understate real risk. Someone might be told they’re “low risk” using a generic calculator, when their actual risk, accounting for ethnicity and family history, is considerably higher.

This is exactly why a one-size-fits-all approach to screening often isn’t enough for this community.

Dr Pinakin’s Perspective: A Cardiologist Who Understands This Risk Firsthand

“This isn’t something I only know from textbooks. It’s something I understand personally, as a South Asian myself. I’ve seen this pattern again and again in my patients: 

healthy-looking, active people in their 30s and 40s, often with a parent or sibling who had a heart attack far too young, coming in only after symptoms appear. By then, we’re often reacting instead of preventing. My message to this community is simple. Don’t wait for a wake-up call. If heart disease runs in your family, get screened before you have symptoms, not after.” — Dr Pinakin V Parekh, Interventional & General Cardiologist, Trident Heart Centre

What Earlier Heart Screening Looks Like

For many South Asians, heart disease can develop earlier and with fewer warning signs. Understanding when to start heart screening and what it involves can help detect problems early and reduce the risk of future heart complications.

When Should South Asians Start Screening?

While general guidelines often suggest heart screening from age 40 or later, Dr Pinakin typically recommends South Asians consider screening earlier, particularly if any of the following apply:

• A parent or sibling had a heart attack, stroke, or heart surgery before age 55
• You have diabetes, prediabetes, or a family history of diabetes
• You have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, even if it seems “mild”
• You carry extra weight around your waistline, even if your overall weight seems normal
• You smoke, or have smoked in the past

What a Heart Screening at Trident Heart Centre Includes

A typical heart screening is straightforward and non-invasive, and may include:

• A detailed review of your personal and family medical history
• Blood pressure and basic cardiovascular risk assessment
• A cholesterol panel, and where relevant, more advanced markers beyond standard LDL
• An ECG to check your heart’s electrical activity
• Further imaging or testing, if warranted based on your individual risk

The goal is simple: catch anything concerning early, while it’s still easiest to manage.

Trident Heart Centre: A Cardiology Clinic in the Heart of Little India

Trident Heart Centre is based at Farrer Park Hospital, steps away from Little India, one of the most significant hubs for Singapore’s South Asian community. Dr Pinakin wanted to create a clinic where patients feel understood, not only medically, but also culturally. By appreciating the traditions, lifestyle, and family dynamics that shape health, he aims to provide care that is both personal and practical.

About Dr Pinakin V Parekh

Dr Pinakin V Parekh is a General and Interventional Cardiologist with over 20 years of experience, and the founder of Trident Heart Centre, with clinics at Gleneagles and Farrer Park Hospital in Singapore. Of South Asian heritage himself, Dr Pinakin has a particular focus on the elevated and earlier-onset cardiovascular risk faced by South Asian patients, and is committed to making early, informed heart screening accessible to this community.

If heart disease runs in your family, don’t wait for symptoms. Book a heart screening with Dr Pinakin at Trident Heart Centre, Farrer Park.