Coronary Heart Disease Risk in Cuban Americans with and without Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Background and AimsCoronary heart disease can be greatly reduced by lifestyle changes. The death rate from diabetes for Cuban Americans is more than twice that for non-Hispanic Whites; yet, recent studies of risk factors and health outcomes for Cuban Americans are lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess dietary, biometric and clinical predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD) in Cuban Americans by diabetes status and gender. Secondary objectives were to assess predictors of the incidence of stroke, angina and coronary or peripheral artery disease (CAD/PAD). Methods and ResultsCuban American adults: N = 367; 190 with type 2 diabetes (72 males, 118 females) and 177 (59 males, 118 females) without diabetes were recruited from a randomly generated mailing list from Broward and Miami-Dade counties, Florida, USA. Significant differences in predictors of CHD risk were found by gender and diabetes status. As expected, we found a positive association between diabetes and stroke; however, female participants were less likely to report having stable angina than male participants. The probable CAD/PAD was predicted by SBP and age; whereas, probable unstable angina was associated with family history of coronary heart disease, being male and smoking.ConclusionsWe found gender and diabetes status delineated risk factor patterns among a Cuban American sample. These findings suggest the need to revise health policies to promote early screening and aggressive treatment of CHD risk factors for both men and women. Prospective studies of CHD risk factors and mortality for Cuban Americans are warranted.