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Risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis in a general Japanese population: the Hisayama study

Yutaka Nakashima1, Yutaka Kiyohara, Yasufumi Doi

  • 1Pathophysiological and Experimental Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. y-nakashima@fukuoka-med.jrc.or.jp

Pathology, Research and Practice
|June 5, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis in Japanese adults include age, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity. These factors, particularly metabolic ones, show different significance between men and women.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
  • Pathology of Atherosclerosis

Background:

  • Coronary atherosclerosis is a major cause of cardiovascular disease.
  • Understanding risk factors in diverse populations is crucial for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis in the recent Japanese population.
  • To compare risk factors between men and women.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of coronary arteries from 233 autopsied subjects (125 men, 108 women) aged over 40 in the Hisayama cohort study.
  • Global assessment of atherosclerosis in 14 coronary artery specimens, classified into 6 grades.
  • Multiple regression analysis to determine significant risk factors.

Main Results:

  • Severe coronary atherosclerosis increased with age in both genders and was more prevalent in men than women of the same age.
  • Significant risk factors for men: age, systolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1c.
  • Significant risk factors for women: age, systolic blood pressure, and waist-to-hip ratio.
  • Smoking was not a significant risk factor in either gender.

Conclusions:

  • Aging, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, and glucose intolerance are key risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis in Japan.
  • The influence of metabolic risk factors on coronary atherosclerosis differs between men and women.

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