Dr. Sina Nafisi: El Doctor con el Corazon de Oro

By Ruben Hernandez

Among Latinos, heart disease is a leading cause of death and heart attacks. Dr. Sina Nafisi, a Phoenix heart doctor, advises Latinos not to wait until they have serious heart-related symptoms; instead, come see him now to prevent problems.

“It’s cultural, Latinos may wait until they are almost at their death bed before going to a doctor,” says Dr. Nafisi, whose patients fondly call him “El Doctor con el Corazon de Oro.” Most of his patients are Latino, and many are Spanish dominant.

Latinos are more likely to delay care, drop treatments when symptoms go away and avoid doctor visits, he says.

“I specialize in preventing heart disease and events before they occur,” he says.  “That’s the best health insurance.”

His Advance Heart and Vascular Institute offices are located at 7^th Street and McDowell Road. Dr. Nafisi specializes in interventional cardiology and preventative heart care. His business phone is 602.507.6002, and his website is http://aheartvi.com/

 His clinic is fully equipped with modern medical equipment, and his internal surgeries are performed at local hospitals such as Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Medical Center and St. Luke’s Medical Center in Phoenix. 

The most recent data from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association for Latios include:

• Among Mexican Americans age 20 and older, approximately 4 percent of men and women have angina, chronic chest pain caused by a lack of blood flow to the heart.
• Mexican Americans have a higher incidence of ischemic stroke at younger ages.
• Mexican Americans have a higher incidence of hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage than non-Hispanic whites.
• Puerto Rican Americans have the highest hypertension-related death rate among all Hispanic subpopulations.
• Among Mexican Americans aged 20 and over, 77.5 percent of men and 75.1 percent of women are overweight or obese.

 Dr. Nafisi says these factors occur in his Latino patients. “I see a combination of all these factors. They have high rates of obesity, hypertension; and all these factors increase risk. They also have less access to medical insurance and healthcare,” he explains.

He adds, “My approach is preventing heart disease. We make it easy for Latinos with our bilingual staff and medical information. As long as you are aware of how to prevent it, you can prolong your life and make changes that will result in a lowered risk of heart disease.”

El Doctor con el Corazon de Oro also pointed out that Latinos born in the United States have an even larger risk for cardiovascular disease when compared to those born outside of the country.

“This is related to the adoption of what is considered an American lifestyle, with higher levels of stress, a diet of processed, high-fat content in fast foods, and a lack of exercise,” he says. “Some of it may have to do with the preservatives they put in foods here. How do you deal with foods that last up to a year? They’re mostly preservatives.”

Latinos often eat unhealthy fast foods because they are easy to pick up and both parents are working fulltime jobs, he adds. Healthy fruits and vegetables are more expensive and take more time to prepare for meals.

Despite language barriers and other obstacles, Dr. Nafisi says, Latinos can reduce their risks for heart disease by maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding unhealthy foods, and getting plenty of exercise.

Dr. Nafisi says his Advance Heart and Vascular Institute offers Latinos tests for preventative care and early diagnosis, and the physicians are committed to providing exceptional, bilingual care with cultural sensitivity.