There are ethnic differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. It is still unclear which groups are most at risk for CVD when all traditional CVD risk factors are considered together as overall risk. Studies have reported a high burden of CVD among several ethnic minority groups and therefore there has been a call for further research on CVD prevention in these populations.
People of non-European origin form around 7% of the total UK population. Most of these are from the Indian subcontinent or of Caribbean and west African descent. For these people, as for virtually all population groups living in the western world, CVD is the main cause of death.