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Jaideep Patel: Are We Underestimating Heart Disease Risk in South Asians?
Anandita Kulkarni, Jaideep Patel and Priyanka Satish
Apr 8, 2026, 16:19

Jaideep Patel: Are We Underestimating Heart Disease Risk in South Asians?

Jaideep Patel, Chief of Cardiology at GBMC HealthCare, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Are we underestimating heart disease risk in South Asians?

South Asians face disproportionately high rates of premature coronary artery disease, but traditional risk calculators often miss the full picture.

A recent study from the DILWALE registry-one of the largest U.S. cohorts of South Asians-leveraged Al-enabled quantitative coronary plaque analysis to look beneath the surface.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • Plaque is prevalent, even when ‘silent’: 63% of the study participants had detectable coronary plaque.
  • The ‘Zero’ isn’t always zero: 10% of individuals with a Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) score of 0 actually had plaque detected via CTA.
  • Non-Calcified Plaque (NCP) dominates: NCP was the predominant plaque subtype across all age groups, making up roughly 86% of total plaque composition. This is critical because NCP is often more prone to rupture, leading to acute cardiac events.
  • Early Onset: Al identified plaque in nearly 49% of patients aged 40-54 and even in 15% of those under age 40.
  • Sex Differences: Men developed plaque earlier and in higher volumes, but women showed a significant ‘catch-up’ increase in plaque volume after age 65.

The Bottom Line: While a CAC score is a great starting tool, it may not tell the whole story for South Asians. Al-enabled CTA can reveal subclinical, non-calcified plaque that traditional tests might miss, allowing for earlier intervention and personalized prevention.

Kudos to my friends Priyanka Satish and Anandita Kulkarni and the research team for these vital insights!”

Title: Age and sex specific coronary plaque characteristics among South Asians: Insights from the DILWALE CTA study

Authors: Priyanka Satish, Aashna Vajramani, Swapnil Gupta, Tsung-Wei Ma, Tanushree Prasad, Suvasini Lakshmanan, Matthew Budoff, Dinesh K. Kalra, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, Jonathon Leipsic, Amro Alsaid, Anandita Kulkarni

Read the Full Article on American Journal of Preventive Cardiology

Jaideep Patel

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Aashna Vajramani Amro Alsaid Anandita Kulkarni Coronary Artery Calcium Coronary Plaque CTA DILWALE Dinesh K. Kalra Jaideep Patel Jonathon Leipsic Matthew Budoff Muhammad Shahzeb Khan NCP Priyanka Satish South Asia Suvasini Lakshmanan Swapnil Gupta Tanushree Prasad Tsung-Wei Ma
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