THE AUTHORS REPLY
Kirti Kain,
Jonathan M. Blaxill,
Andrew J. Catto,
Peter J. Grant and
Angela M. Carter
Academic Unit of Molecular Vascular Medicine, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds LS1 3EX, United Kingdom
We appreciate the letter from Fischbacher and Bhopal (1) concerning our article in the Journal (2). Because the authors have published extensively regarding the heterogeneity between subgroups of South Asians, it is likely that the discrepancies reported in fibrinogen levels in different studies could be due to differences in the origins of South Asians living in different areas of the United Kingdom (3). However, in a recent study, Whincup et al. also found significantly higher fibrinogen levels in South Asian children compared with White children, even after adjustment for age, sex, childhood height, town, and ponderal index (4), which concurs with our findings in adults (2, 5). We acknowledge that larger population-based prospective studies specifically designed to address the issue of the influence of fibrinogen on the risk of cardiovascular disease in South Asians are required.
REFERENCES
- Fischbacher C, Bhopal R. Re: "Increased fibrinogen levels among South Asians versus Whites in the United Kingdom are not explained by common polymorphisms." (Letter). Am J Epidemiol 2003;157:6645.[Free Full Text]
- Kain K, Blaxill JM, Catto AJ, et al. Increased fibrinogen levels among South Asians versus Whites in the United Kingdom are not explained by common polymorphisms. Am J Epidemiol 2002;156:1749.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Bhopal R, Unwin N, White M, et al. Heterogeneity of coronary heart disease risk factors in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and European origin populations: cross sectional study. BMJ 1999;319:21520.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Whincup PH, Gilg JA, Papacosta O, et al. Early evidence of ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk: cross sectional comparison of British South Asian and white children. BMJ 2002;324:635.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Kain K, Catto AJ, Grant PJ. Impaired fibrinolysis and increased fibrinogen levels in South Asian subjects. Atherosclerosis 2001;156:45761.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]