Association Between Asian Ethnicity and Premature Coronary Artery Disease
Ali M Agha1, Jeremy R Burt2, Jean-Paul Bryant3, Maria Marquez4, Khurram Butt5, William Sensakovic6, Raul Loya5, Melissa Kendall7, Julie Pepe51Department of Internal Medicine, The McGovern Medical School at University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA, 2Department of Radiology, AdventHealth Orlando, FL, USA, Department of Radiology, Medical University of South Carolina, SC, USA, 3University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA, 4Department of College of Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA, 5Department of Radiology, AdventHealth Orlando, FL, USA, 6Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, AZ, USA, 7Department of College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, USA,
Objectives: It is well known that Asians have an increased prevalence of CAD. This study investigated the association between the prevalence of “premature” CAD (i.e. CAD in men < 40 and women < 50) and ethnicity, with a focus on Asian ethnicity. Methods: Our study included 1,386 young adults who underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA) at a single institution. Ethnicity and other demographic variables were recorded. For all plaques identified on CCTA, the blood vessel and segment affected was recorded. Plaques were characterized as calcified, non-calcified, or mixed, and the degree of stenosis was assessed based on the CAD-RADS reporting system. Results: The prevalence of premature CAD was over twice as high among Asians (p=0.003, 33.3%, 19.0%-47.6%) (Mean, 95% C.I.) compared to Whites (16.0%, 13.1%-18.8%), Blacks (12.4%, 8.5%-16.2%), and Latinos (12.3%, 9.2%-15.4%). The majority of plaques among all ethnic groups were non-calcified plaques identified in the proximal segment of the LAD. There was no relationship between ethnicity and plaque type (p=0.617) or location (p=0.788). Conclusion: Asians are not only at an increased likelihood of developing CAD, but the atherosclerotic disease process begins at an earlier age compared with patients of other ethnicities. Atherosclerotic plaque characteristics are similar among all ethnicities. Keywords: Asian ethnicity, coronary artery disease, coronary CT angiography, prevalence
Cite This Article
Agha A, Burt J, Bryant J, Marquez M, Butt K, Sensakovic W, et al. Association Between Asian Ethnicity and Premature Coronary Artery Disease. EJMO. 2019; 3(4): 269-273
Corresponding Author: Jeremy R Burt