The American Heart Association (AHA) has published a new scientific statement acknowledging that although there are marked differences in heart disease risk and occurrence among the 7 Asian-American subgroups living in the United States, data on these subgroups is limited. Asian-Americans are often studied as a group, which masks differences within this heterogeneous population. The 7 subgroups include: Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and Other Asian.

Available research shows that subgroups of Asian-Americans are at increased risk of complications and death from cardiovascular disease; however, the statement cites some of the following risk differences between Asian-American subgroups:

• Asian Indians and Filipinos are at greater risk of coronary heart disease compared with the other subgroups.
• Japanese-Americans and Chinese-Americans have lower rates of coronary heart disease but higher rates of stroke.
• Chinese-Americans have lower rates of peripheral arterial disease, or clotting diseases of the leg arteries, than other groups.

The statement identifies research showing that risk factors for Asian-Americans differ compared with Caucasians. For example, body mass index (BMI), a common tool for determining risk for cardiovascular disease, is considered normal when it is less than 25 kg/m² for Caucasians. However, a BMI less than 23 may be more appropriate for Asians. Some studies also show that Asian-Americans metabolize drugs, including those used to treat heart disease, differently than Caucasians and other racial/ethnic groups. The statement also calls for changes in data collection. Among the suggested changes is to separate Asian Pacific Islanders together into appropriate groups for more accurate disease characterization. This is already done in the U.S. Census, but it is not done commonly in hospitals and clinics. Other recommendations for improving the quality and quantity of data include developing standard Asian-specific measurement tools for things such as acculturation, which indicates how well a certain population has adapted to the U.S. culture, as well as diet. The committee also recommends that researchers should “over-sample” Asian-Americans in population-based and clinical trials to ensure that they are well-represented.

1. Palaniappan L, Araneta RG, Assimes TL, et al. Call to Action: cardiovascular disease in Asian Americans: a science advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2010 Aug 23; [Epub ahead of print]. Full text available at: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/CIR.0b013e3181f22af4v1. Accessed September 1, 2010.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 12:00 pm.