Relative importance of atherosclerotic risk factors for coronary heart disease in Taiwan

Background The relative importance of atherosclerotic risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and smoking, was associated with cardiovascular events and varied among different ethnic groups. For a population with relatively low coronary heart disease (CHD) such as Asian-Pacific countries, it is crucial to differentiate the roles of these risk factors. Methods We examined the relative importance of various risk factors for CHD in a community-based cohort in Taiwan, consisting of 3602 adults aged 35 and older with a median follow-up time of 9.0 years since 1990. Regular death certificate verification and medical record reviews were performed in the follow-up activities. Results There were 85 cases defined as CHD). In the Cox proportional hazard analysis, men were at higher risk than women [hazard risk (HR)= 2.22, 95% confidence interval (Cl)= 1.39-3.561. Hypertension was the most common risk factor for CHD. Dyslipidemia, especially lowered high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, also played an important role (HR=2.09, 95% CI=1.33-3.29) in CHD events. Hypertension had a greater influence in males (HR=6.08, P < 0.001) than in females (HR=2.80, P < 0.001). No independent association was found for smoking or body mass index in cardiovascular events. Conclusion This study found that in a community-based cohort, hypertension, and dyslipidemia attribute an important role to cardiovascular events. (c) 2005 The European Society of Cardiology.