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Is hypertension a leading cause of heart failure in Chinese?

M Gary Nicholls1, A Mark Richards

  • 1Department of Medicine, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand. gary.nicholls@chmeds.ac.nz

Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology & Physiology
|August 8, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Hypertension is the primary risk factor for heart failure in Chinese populations, though diabetes prevalence is rising. Further research is needed to confirm findings in diverse ethnic groups.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Risk factors for heart failure (HF) are not fully understood, with most data from Caucasian populations.
  • Hypertension and coronary artery disease are dominant HF risk factors in Caucasians.
  • Risk factor profiles for heart failure may differ across racial and ethnic groups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the literature on the aetiology of heart failure specifically in the Chinese population.
  • To identify the predominant risk factors contributing to heart failure development in Chinese individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on heart failure aetiology in Chinese populations.
  • Analysis of data from Hong Kong studies conducted in the 1990s.
  • Examination of the prevalence of diastolic heart failure and associated risk factors.

Main Results:

  • No long-term prospective studies definitively identify heart failure risk factors in Chinese.
  • Hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, and diabetes mellitus are overlapping risk factors.
  • Diastolic heart failure has a high prevalence (66%) in the studied Chinese population.
  • Antihypertensive drug treatment may offer protection against heart failure, but trial data are limited.

Conclusions:

  • Hypertension appears to be the most significant identifiable risk factor for heart failure in Chinese individuals.
  • The increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus may alter future heart failure risk profiles in this population.
  • Further prospective studies are required to definitively establish heart failure aetiology in diverse ethnic groups.

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