Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in ethnic Europeans and Koreans living in the Primorsky Krai

Abstract

Aim. To study the prevalence of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in young ethnic Europeans and Koreans permanently residing in the Primorsky Krai.Material and methods. The data of the ethnic Europeans (group 1) were taken from the ESSE-RF multicenter epidemiological study conducted in the Primorsky Krai (n=911); group 2 included ethnic Koreans (n=106), who underwent all clinical and laboratory tests used in ESSE-RF study. Subjects of both groups did not have cardiovascular disease. Biochemical assessment included total cholesterol (TC), low- and high-density lipoproteins (LDL and HDL), triglycerides (TG), apolipoprotein B (apoB) and A (apoA), lipoprotein (a), glucose, uric acid (UA) and creatinine. Both groups were divided into subgroups depending on the status of smoking and compared among themselves. Statistical processing included the Mann-Whitney test, the Kruskal-Wallis test and chi-squared test.Results. Both groups were in the same age range (p=0,44). The prevalence of smoking was 24,3% and 28,3% for the ethnic Europeans and Koreans, respectively (p=0,22). Among the European population, a higher body mass index (p>0,05) was noted. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not statistically differ (p>0,05), resting heart rate was significantly higher in group 1 (p<0,05). Second- and third-generation Korean immigrants compared with group 1 had significantly higher levels of TC, TG, apoB, non-HDL-C, LDL-C (p<0,001), while HDL-C, apoA and lipoprotein (a) rates did not have significant differences (p>0,05) between groups. In group 2, glucose, creatinine and UA values also had higher values (p<0,0001). In the Korean population in the group of former smokers, the values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure are significantly higher than those of active smokers and never smokers (p<0,05). Smokers of group 1 had a lower level of HDL-C, apoA (p<0,01) and higher levels of TG (p<0,05) and UA (p<0,01); in former smokers, UA and apoA values remained at the level of active smokers (p>0,05).Conclusion. It was shown that young ethnic Koreans had a higher values of laboratory parameters associated with cardiovascular risk (CVR) compared with ethnic Europeans, which should be taken into account when assessing CVR and requires the correction of preventive measures for cardiovascular disease. It was found that the body mass index is higher among active and former smoking in both cohorts compared with never smokers. Active and former smokers of the European ethnic group had a significantly lower apoA and HDL-C levels and higher TG and UA values. Thus, the study demonstrates the need to individualize the CVR assessment in people of different ethnic groups living in the same territory and to take into account the smoking status of both active and former smokers.

Keywords

• cardiovascular risk
• ethnic groups
• risk factors
• cholesterol
• blood pressure
• esse-rf