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 (CI)=1 .39-3.56]. 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.