Prevalence of and risk factors for subclinical cardiovascular disease in selected US Hispanic ethnic groups

In this study, the authors determined the prevalence and extent of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and subclinical CVD in four US Hispanic subgroups, as well as associations between the CVD risk factors and subclinical CVD in these groups. Participants were 1,437 Hispanic men and women enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis in 2000-2002. Fifty-six percent were Mexican-American, 12% were Dominican-American, 14% were Puerto Rican-American, and 18% were Other Hispanic-American. All participants underwent clinical examinations for coronary artery calcium, thoracic aortic calcium, carotid intimal-medial thickness, ankle-brachial index, left ventricular mass, and left ventricular size. Mexican Americans had the highest levels of coronary artery calcium, thoracic aortic calcium, and carotid intimal-medial thickness, while Puerto Rican Americans had the highest prevalence of an ankle-brachial index less than 1.0 and levels of left ventricular mass. The magnitudes of the associations between coronary artery calcium and age, sex, and body mass index were similar across all Hispanic subgroups. However, there were differences in the magnitude and significance of the associations between coronary artery calcium and hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and cigarette smoking among the different Hispanic subgroups. This finding was also present for the other subclinical CVD measures. These results suggest a differential relationship between risk factors and either prevalence or extent of subclinical disease by Hispanic subgroup.