Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Mar 26, 2024; 16(3): 98-103
Published online Mar 26, 2024. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v16.i3.98
Cardiovascular diseases in European ethnic minorities: Beyond the traditional cardiovascular risk factors
Mohamed Bamoshmoosh
Mohamed Bamoshmoosh, Department of Cardiology, University of Science and Technology, Aden 0, Yemen
Mohamed Bamoshmoosh, Department of Cardiology, Fanfani Clinical Research Institute, Florence 50100, Italy
Author contributions: Bamoshmoosh M wrote the editorial.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Mohamed Bamoshmoosh, MD, PhD, Full Professor, Department of Cardiology, University of Science and Technology, Alshaab Street, Aden 0, Yemen. bamoshmoosh@hotmail.it
Received: November 1, 2023
Peer-review started: November 1, 2023
First decision: December 11, 2023
Revised: January 14, 2024
Accepted: February 7, 2024
Article in press: February 7, 2024
Published online: March 26, 2024
Processing time: 140 Days and 22.1 Hours
Abstract

This editorial is intended to be a reflection on cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden in European ethnic minorities. In some European countries, ethnic minority realities, due to their recent appearance, are still to be studied in depth. The experience of several European countries, where the migration processes started earlier, even more than a century ago, can help by being an example. Many studies have shown that major differences in CVD burden exist not only between countries, but also within the same country when considering different social strata and ethnic groups. The CV risk factors underlying heart disease have been well established. Important epidemiological studies have helped us understand that the underlying causes of heart disease as well as the behaviors that can help prevent them are the same. We are now well aware that CVD should be treated by considering a holistic approach. This is why the social determinants (SDs) of health that may worsen the disease burden or that, vice versa, may improve the treatment, and even more significantly, the prognosis of a patient’s illness should be taken into consideration. For ethnic minority patients, this holistic, hermeneutic approach is of importance. Several SDs of health that influence CVDs have been identified but their relevance for the health of ethnic minorities has not yet been clearly defined. In some European countries, most ethnic minorities are largely also religious minorities. Only a few studies have evaluated the role of religion, which is an important SD that affects the probability of having CV risk factors and diseases. Adolescents, particularly those belonging to the second generation, seem to be the weak link. If we believe that these young people are really citizens of their country of birth, then a way of recognizing their belonging to the community starts from a will to better understand their condition, in order to assist them while they grow physically and mentally. Thinking about safeguarding the health of this population should be more than a health task, rather a goal of social justice.

Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular risk factors; European ethnic minorities; Social determinants of health

Core Tip: A wealth of data highlight the existence of important differences in cardiovascular (CV) disease burden within the same country, when considering different social strata and ethnic groups. Both CV diseases and risk factors have been shown to be related to several social determinants of health. Thus, in ethnic minority individuals, a holistic, hermeneutic approach should be considered.