(WXYZ) — Dr. Alison Thomas and Dr. Nicholas Condreon work at Corewell Health in Royal Oak. Both also attended the 2020 graduating class of the William Beaumont School of Medicine at the University of Auckland.
“It's like a school built in a community, and everyone gets along really well with each other,” said Dr. Condreon, a cardiology fellow at Corewell Health.
But some memories can bring tears to my eyes.
“It's still surreal,” said Dr. Thomas, an obstetrics and gynecology resident at Corewell Health.
Their classmate and dear friend, Dr. Erfan Faridmoyer, died of cardiac arrest last December. He was a 30-year-old general surgeon living in New York.
“He always had our backs and was always comfortable with everyone around him. He definitely radiated joy,” Dr. Thomas said.
“He's a guy who never stops smiling,” Dr. Condreon said.
Dr. Farid Moyer came to the United States as an international student from Iran to complete his undergraduate studies before enrolling in medical school.
“Erfan probably worked 100 hours a week. You know he worked so hard to help patients. So it's hard for us to accept that we're not immortal. And I “We are young and healthy, and things like this can still happen,” Dr. Thomas said.
Family physician Dr. Asha Shahjahan began investigating why young people in West and South Asia had higher mortality rates from cardiac events after two of her close friends, aged 30 and 40, died of heart attacks. Ta.
“So we found that South Asians tend to get heart disease about 10 years earlier than other ethnicities. And their mortality rate is 40%. So basically, South Asians tend to get heart disease about 10 years earlier than other ethnicities. So the first time you have a heart attack, you're more likely to develop heart disease.''I'd rather die than get a stent and move on,'' Dr. Shahjahan said.
Dr. Shajahan said younger West Asians are also at higher risk, with most events occurring before age 50.
“More research is needed, but it's multifactorial in the sense that South Asians have been found to have narrower blood vessels. The difference with the Asian population lumps together several different countries. “South Korea and China also have high rates of heart disease, but there are several other Asian countries that are at higher risk,” Shahjahan said.
That's why Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Pramila Jayapal are working on legislative changes to raise awareness and study the impact on Asian Americans.
“The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is the leading cause of heart rate disease and is highest among South Asians,” said Senator Booker.
“Among other things, this bill provides grants to support research to understand why some communities are disproportionately affected by heart disease, and to develop life-saving treatments for all patients. We believe this could lead to discovery,” said Rep. Jayapal.
According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for most races and ethnicities in this country.
Nationally, one person dies from cardiovascular disease every 33 seconds.
While the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act heads to President Biden's desk for approval, Dr. Thomas and Dr. Condreon are working with the University of Oakland to establish a scholarship in honor of Dr. Farid Moyer.
“We want to award scholarships to students every year. Once we reach a certain amount, the school will continue to give out scholarships. So our goal is to reach that amount and Yes, this endowment fund will survive,” Dr. Thomas said.
Click here to donate to the scholarship fund (https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1001/g20/form.aspx?sid=1001&gid=4&pgid=1902&cid=4186&bledit=1&dids=3948)
For more information on the South Asia Heart Health Awareness and Research Act, click here: https://jayapal.house.gov/2023/07/26/jayapal-wilson-introduce-legislation-to-combat-high- rate-of-heart disease in South Asian Americans/
Meanwhile, Dr. Shajahan says early screening and a healthy, active lifestyle are the keys to fighting heart disease.
