Despite accounting for one in every four people worldwide, individuals of South Asian ancestry remain critically underrepresented in cardiovascular disease (CVD) randomized controlled trials. A systematic review of 310 major CVD RCTs (2018–2022) revealed that only 3.2% of participants were South Asian—and after excluding a single large Indian trial, representation plummeted to 1.1%. Strikingly, no South Asian participants were identified in trials on heart failure, cardiac arrest, or valvular disease, despite these being leading causes of mortality in this population.
This profound data gap raises concerns about the generalizability and clinical relevance of current CVD guidelines for a high-risk ancestry group. To explore how this under representation could shape future CVD outcomes and trial design, read the full study here . If our evidence base excludes a quarter of humanity,…
