IJE Advance Access originally published online on November 24, 2004
International Journal of Epidemiology 2005 34(1):173-179; doi:10.1093/ije/dyh285
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IJE vol.34 no.1 © International Epidemiological Association 2004; all rights reserved.
Cardiovascular Disease |
Much lower prevalence of coronary calcium detected by electron-beam computed tomography among men aged 40–49 in Japan than in the US, despite a less favorable profile of major risk factors
1 Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Pubic Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
2 Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
3 Cardiovascular Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
4 Department of Internal Medicine: Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
5 Medical Coordination Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
6 Department of Radiology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
7 Department of Internal Medicine: Cardiology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan
Correspondence: Dr Akira Sekikawa, Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 3512 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. E-mail: akira{at}pitt.edu
Background Since World War II (WWII), exposures to westernized lifestyle have occurred in many non-Western countries, including Japan. National surveys showed that risk factor profiles for atherosclerosis around 1990 were similar in men in the post WWII birth cohorts in the US and Japan. We compared the degree of coronary calcium and other factors in men in the post WWII birth cohort: men aged 40–49 in the US and Japan.
Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study examining randomly selected 100 men from Kusatsu, Japan, and 100 men from Allegheny County, US. Coronary calcium was assessed using electron-beam computed tomography.
Results Systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, and smoking rates were higher among the Japanese (122.6 ± 14.1 versus 113.7 ± 9.6 mmHg, P < 0.01; 5.72 ± 0.90 versus 4.99 ± 0.81 mmol/l (220.9 ± 34.6 versus 192.8 ± 31.3 mg/dl), P < 0.01; 3.52 ± 1.01 versus 3.10 ± 0.78 mmol/l (136.0 ± 39.0 versus 119.7 ± 30.0 mg/dl), P < 0.01; and 48 versus 15%, P < 0.01, respectively). Triglycerides and fibrinogen were similar. High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol was higher among the Japanese. Body mass index, fasting insulin, and C-reactive protein were higher among the Americans. Prevalence of coronary artery calcium score >0 was strikingly lower among the Japanese than the Americans (13% versus 47%, P < 0.01).
Conclusions Much lower prevalence of coronary calcium despite a less favourable profile of many major independent risk factors in the Japanese might imply that there are strong protective factors against atherosclerosis in the Japanese. Further investigation is of critical importance.
Keywords Subclinical atherosclerosis, electron-beam computed tomography, US, Japan, epidemiology, risk factors, post World War II birth cohort, coronary calcium
Accepted 2 June 2004
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