Ethnicity

It’s been known for many years that the risk of some cardiovascular diseases varies for people of different ethnic backgrounds, with studies showing that some ethnicities have a higher risk than White Europeans, and other ethnicities have a lower risk. The reasons behind this are not fully understood.

Ethnicity encompasses more than just genetics and includes lifestyle or cultural factors such as diet and environment. Socioeconomic factors may also play a part as there are known health inequalities in the UK with some people from ethnic minorities facing barriers to accessing healthcare.

Ethnicity is used in the QRISK calculator to reflect the differences in risk, but we must also be cautious when using a broad brush as risk factors can vary considerably between individuals of a specific ethnic background.

You can find out more about how ethnicity affects the risk of cardiovascular disease on the British Heart Foundation website.