This is also the case for some mixed-race people of south Asian descent. The term ‘south Asian’ in these articles refers to anyone of Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani or Sri Lankan origin. While each of these communities has its own unique culture and background, they all share some common health issues.
Diabetes and heart disease
People from south Asian communities can be up to six times more likely to have diabetes than the general population. Pakistani women are especially at risk. The death rate from coronary heart disease is higher among south Asian men and women who were born outside the UK than it is among the general population. Experts aren’t sure why this is the case, but it may be linked to diet, lifestyle and different ways of storing fat in the body.
There are things you can do to improve your health and reduce your risk of developing heart disease or diabetes. The articles below explain how:
Smoking and chewing tobacco
Rates of smoking are generally lower in south Asian communities in England than in the general population. Bangladeshi and Pakistani men, however, have much higher rates of smoking. Habits such as smoking bidi or shisha, and chewing paan or gutkha can be harmful, too.
Find out about the risks of paan, bidi and shisha, and getting support to quit.
Eye health and kidney health
Acute glaucoma (an eye condition) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) can affect anybody, but people from south Asian communities have a higher risk. Having diabetes increases the chances of developing kidney disease, and research suggests diabetes can also raise the risk of glaucoma.
Learn more about living with kidney disease and glaucoma.
Blood and organ donation
More than 9,000 people in the UK are waiting for an organ transplant that could save or dramatically improve their lives. Most are waiting for a kidney, heart, lung or liver transplant. One donor can give life to several people. Giving blood can also help to save lives.
Organ and blood donation among south Asian, African and African Caribbean communities is relatively low. This means that there is a shortage of donor organs and blood matching the tissue or blood type of members of these ethnic groups. Comedian Gina Yashere explains why it is important for members of ethnic minorities to donate blood and organs.
To find out more about what different religions – including Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Hindu and Judaism – say about blood and organ donation, visit the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) website.
Travelling abroad
Typhoid
There are around 500 cases of typhoid in the UK each year. Most cases in the UK are in people who have travelled to Pakistan, Bangladesh, India or parts of Africa.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has produced leaflets about preventing typhoid, available in several languages: Bengali typhoid leaflet (PDF, 110kb), Gujarati typhoid leaflet (PDF, 86kb), Punjabi typhoid leaflet (PDF, 83kb) and Urdu typhoid leaflet (PDF, 599kb).
Malaria
In the UK, 1,500 to 2,000 people are diagnosed with malaria each year having been infected abroad. Over half of these cases are among people visiting friends and family in their country of origin, particularly in Africa and south Asia.
You can protect yourself against malaria if you're travelling to a country where malaria is a risk. See the HPA's leaflets about preventing malaria, available in several languages: Bengali malaria leaflet (PDF, 314kb), Gujarati malaria leaflet (PDF, 369kb), Punjabi malaria leaflet (PDF, 146kb) and Urdu malaria leaflet (PDF, 360kb).
