A SCREENING initiative was held to raise heart disease and diabetes awareness among Bradford’s South Asian population today.

The British Heart Foundation and the South Asian Health Foundation supported the fully-booked event at an Indian community centre in Legrams Mill Lane, to encourage people to get checked out early for those conditions and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

A medical team from London’s Royal Free Hospital, doctors, nurses and pharmacists carried out primary screening tests on 30 people who had responded to messages put out by local temples and communities to spread word of the event.

Tests on the day included blood pressure, checking glucose, cholesterol and body fat, as well as giving lifestyle advice on diet, alcohol, stopping smoking and weight management to cut risk factors.

Medics also performed special ultrasound tests to examine arteries in the neck which can show narrowing or possible blockages caused by coronary artery disease.

Results from the day will all be passed to the GPs of the people who took part and a follow-up event will be held in six months’ time to check on their progress.

Bradford-born and educated Dr Mahendra Patel, who is the CEO of the South Asian Health Foundation UK, helped co-ordinate the event at the Leuva Patidar Samaj community hall.

He raised funds through the Leuva Patidar Samaj community in Yorkshire to bring the screening to his home city in association with BAPS Charities Swaminarayan Mandir London and Leeds.

“The South Asian population is particularly prone to heart disease and diabetes. They are six times more likely than White Europeans to be diabetic because they have a high degree of obesity. They have a lot of Ghee oil in their diet.

“Their chances of heart disease are double and 20 to 30-year-olds are up to three times more likely than their White European peers to die from a heart attack,” he said.

“Because of this we have to get people screened early to detect any conditions so they can get treatment or better still to help prevent these conditions developing in the first place through information and advice and education.

“Undiagnosed and untreated diabetes can cause blindness or you have a leg off, they don’t realise that. Hopefully this awareness event will get the message out.”

Monday is World Diabetes Day, and Bradford’s clinical commissioning groups are already working with thousands of people who have been identified as being at high risk of developing diabetes.

As part of a Bradford Beating Diabetes campaign, more than 22,000 people at risk of Type 2 diabetes have been seen by a healthcare assistant at their local GP practice.

And more than 2,000 of those have been referred to a diabetes prevention programme to help lifestyle changes and also reduce the risk of developing other serious conditions such as cancer, stroke and heart disease.

In June, awareness adverts were also being carried on buses in the area as well as on bus shelters and rail stations.