The Family Risk Score for coronary heart disease: Associations with lipids, lipoproteins, and body habitus in a middle-aged bi-racial cohort: The ARIC Study

Mark A. Pereira, Pamela J. Schreiner, James S. Pankow, Roger R. Williams, Millicent Higgins, Michael A. Province, D. C. Rao

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

PURPOSE: To examine the association between the Family Risk Score (FRS) for coronary heart disease (CHD) and body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipoprotein(a) protein [Lp(a)]. METHODS: FRS was computed from observed and expected CHD events using family data collected from 11467 black and white adults of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC). BMI, WHR, and lipids adjusted for study center, race, education, BMI (except BMI), WHR (except for BMI and WHR), cigarette smoking, alcohol, and Keys' score were compared among low (FRS < -0.5), average (-0.5 to 0.5), and high (> 0.5) FRS using analysis of covariance. The association between FRS and these risk factors was compared to that for simpler estimates of family risk. RESULTS: Adjusted means of BMI, WHR, LDL, Lp(a), and triglycerides were positively associated with FRS, whereas HDL cholesterol was inversely associated with FRS. Of demographic and behavioral factors, cigarette smoking was most strongly associated with FRS. Based on additional comparisons of adjusted means, high vs. low levels of FRS appear to correlate better with CHD risk factors than do the simpler family history assessments. CONCLUSIONS: In situations where genetic or clinical information is not available, FRS may be a favorable measure of familial burden for CHD. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)239-245
Number of pages7
JournalAnnals of epidemiology
Volume10
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2000
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The ARIC was funded by contracts N01-HC-55015, N01-HC-55016, N01-HC 55018, N01-HC-55019, N01-HC-55020, N01-HC-55021, N01-HC-55022 from the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The Family Heart Study was funded by contracts NO1-HC-25104, NO1-HC-25105, NO1-HC-25106, NO1-HC-25107, NO1-HC-25108, and NO1-HC-25109 from the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Mark A. Pereira was funded by Grant T32- HL07779 from the National Institutes of Health. The authors appreciate the contributions of the following ARIC Study personnel: Phyllis Johnson, Marilyn Knowles, and Catherine Paton from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; Shirley Cothern, Amy Haire, Kim Jones, and Delilah Posey from the University of North Carolina, Forsyth County, NC; Betty Warren, Dorothy Washington, Mattye Watson, and Nancy Wilson from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS; Gina Tritle, Shirley VanPilsum, Laurie Wormuth, and Virginia Wyum from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; Pat Crowley, Tammy Crunkleton, Lilly Downs, and Pam Grove from the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Valerie Stinson, Pam Pfile, Hogan Pham, and Teri Trevino from the University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX; Wanda R. Alexander, Doris J. Harper, Charles E. Rhodes, and Selma M. Soyal from The Methodist Hospital, Atherosclerosis Clinical Laboratory, Houston, TX; Bob Ellison, July Fleshman, Kathy Joyce, and Mary Lauffer from the Bowman-Gray School of Medicine, Ultrasound Reading Center, Winston-Salem, NC; and Margaret Misch, Stephen Noga, Joy Rollins, and Debbie Rubin-Willams from the Coordinating Center of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.

Keywords

  • Cigarette Smoking
  • Family History
  • Lipoproteins
  • Obesity

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