Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Coronary Angiographic Findings in High-Risk Immigrant Communities in Italy

Background: The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) considerably varies by ethnicity. High-risk populations include patients from Eastern Europe (EEP), the Middle East and North Africa (MENAP) and South Asia (SAP). Methods: This retrospective study aims to highlight cardiovascular risk factors and specific coronary findings in high-risk immigrant groups. We examined the medical records and coronary angiographies of 220 patients from the above-mentioned high-risk ethnic groups referred for Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and compared them with 90 Italian patients (IP) from 2016 to 2021. In the context of high-risk immigrant populations, this retrospective study aims to shed light on cardiovascular risk factors and particular coronary findings. We analyzed the medical records of 220 patients from the high-risk ethnic groups described above referred for ACS and compared them with 90 IPs between 2016 and 2021. In addition, we assessed coronary angiographies with a focus on the culprit lesion, mainly evaluating multi-vessel and left main disease. Results: The mean age at the first event was 65.4 & PLUSMN; 10.2 years for IP, 49.8 & PLUSMN; 8.5 years for SAP (Relative Reduction (ReR) 30.7%), 51.9 & PLUSMN; 10.2 years for EEP (ReR 26%) and 56.7 & PLUSMN; 11.4 years for MENAP (ReR 15.3%); p < 0.0001. The IP group had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension. EEP and MENAP had a lower prevalence of diabetes. EEP and MENAP had a higher prevalence of STEMI events; SAP showed a significant prevalence of left main artery disease (p = 0.026) and left anterior descending artery disease (p = 0.033) compared with other groups. In SAP, we detected a higher prevalence of three-vessel coronary artery disease in the age group 40-50. Conclusions: Our data suggest the existence of a potential coronary phenotype in several ethnicities, especially SAP, and understate the frequency of CV risk factors in other high-risk groups, supporting the role of a genetic influence in these communities.

Automated summary

This retrospective study examined cardiovascular risk factors and specific coronary findings in high-risk immigrant groups from Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and South Asia. The results showed variations in cardiovascular disease among different ethnicities, with South Asians being particularly high-risk and other groups having lower cardiovascular risk factors. This study supports the role of genetic influence in these different ethnic communities.