DIFFERENCES IN PREVALENCE OF AND RISK-FACTORS FOR SUBCLINICAL VASCULAR-DISEASE AMONG BLACK-AND-WHITE PARTICIPANTS IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH STUDY

A composite measure of subclinical vascular disease has been developed in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). In previous reports, we mea sured the prevalence of subclinical disease among the original 5201 pa rticipants in the CHS, the relationship of risk factors to subclinical disease, and the association of subclinical disease to clinical coron ary heart disease. In 1992 to 1993 (year 4 of the study), a larger coh ort of 424 black women and 248 black men was added to the study. In th is study, we have compared the prevalence of subclinical disease among blacks and whites in the CHS and the association with cardiovascular risk factors. The prevalence of subclinical disease for all participan ts (aged greater than or equal to 65 years) was 41.3% for white women, 39.7% for black women, 41.9% for white men, and 43.7% for black men. The prevalence increased with age. The risk factor associations for su bclinical disease were similar among blacks and whites. In multivariat e analysis, age, systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, smoking, an d family history of myocardial infarction were independently associate d with subclinical disease among both black and white women, while for white men, systolic blood pressure, use of antihypertensive medicatio n, smoking, body mass index, and diastolic blood pressure (inverse) we re related to subclinical disease. In black men, blood triglyceride le vel, use of. antihypertensive medications, and family history of myoca rdial infarction (inverse) were associated with subclinical disease.