How Much Do Risk Factors Explain CVD Incidence Among Blacks and Whites?

In middle age, fewer than 4% of blacks and 8% of whites were at low risk.

Few studies have evaluated the relation between risk factors and cardiovascular disease (CVD) among U.S. blacks relative to whites. Using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, researchers assessed the degree to which risk factors explained cardiovascular events. More than 14,000 adults (mean age, 54) who were free of known stroke or coronary heart disease were followed for 13 years. Participants were assigned to risk factor groups categorized as optimal (systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg, diastolic BP <80 mm Hg, total cholesterol <200 mg/dL, and absence of diabetes and smoking), borderline, or elevated.

Only 4% of blacks and 8% of whites were categorized as having optimal risk. More blacks (80%) than whites (60%) had at l…

Reviewing Author

Jamaluddin Moloo, MD, MPH