Clinical study: coronary artery disease
Ethnic differences in coronary atherosclerosis

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Abstract

Objectives

The study was done to evaluate whether ethnic differences exist in the prevalence of coronary artery calcification (CAC), and to determine whether differences in calcification correlate with the degree of coronary obstruction.

Background

Electron beam tomography (EBT) can be used to quantitate the amount of CAC and assist in prognostication of future cardiac events. It is unclear whether ethnic differences in coronary mortality are related to differences in the prevalence of coronary obstruction and CAC.

Methods

A total of 782 symptomatic subjects underwent both EBT and angiography. A 50% luminal narrowing defined an angiographic obstruction.

Results

We observed substantial ethnic differences in prevalence of both CAC and angiographic stenosis. In whites (n = 453), prevalence of CAC (score >0) was 84%, and significant obstruction on angiogram was 71%. Compared with whites, blacks (n = 108) had a significantly lower prevalence of CAC (62%, p < 0.001) and angiographic disease (49%, p < 0.01). Hispanics (n = 177) also had a lower prevalence of CAC (71%, p < 0.001) and angiographic obstruction (58%, p < 0.01). Asians (n = 44) were not significantly different in regard to CAC (73%, p = 0.06) or angiographic stenosis (64%, p = 0.30). These ethnic differences remained after simultaneously controlling (by use of multiple logistic regression) for age, gender and cardiac risk factors.

Conclusions

As compared with whites, blacks and Hispanics had significantly lower prevalence of CAC and obstructive coronary disease. Ethnic differences in risk-factor profiles do not explain these differences. This study demonstrated that whites have a higher atherosclerotic burden than blacks and Hispanics, independent of risk-factor differences among symptomatic patients referred for angiography.

Abbreviations

CAC
coronary artery calcification
CAD
coronary artery disease
CCS
coronary calcium score
CI
confidence interval
EBT
electron beam tomography
ECG
electrocardiographic
Hu
Hounsfield units
MI
myocardial infarction
OR
odds ratio

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