Disaggregation of Cause-Specific Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Among Hispanic Subgroups

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Cardiovascular Disease Research

Background:

• Hispanics are the largest US minority group, facing high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and socioeconomic challenges.
• Paradoxically, Hispanics exhibit lower all-cause mortality than non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), a trend primarily observed in Mexicans.
• It remains unclear if this survival advantage extends to other Hispanic subgroups or persists over time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze a decade of national CVD mortality data for the three largest US Hispanic subgroups: Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.
• To compare CVD mortality trends among these subgroups and with non-Hispanic whites (NHWs).

Main Methods:

• Utilized US National Center for Health Statistics mortality records (2003-2012) for CVD deaths.
• Compared data for Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans against NHWs using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes.
• Calculated population estimates using US Census data and analyzed trends from 2015-2016.

Main Results:

• CVD mortality rates decreased overall from 414.2 to 303.3 per 100,000 between 2003 and 2012.
• Mexicans and Puerto Ricans died younger from CVD compared to NHWs.
• Puerto Ricans showed mortality patterns similar to NHWs, while Mexicans had lower mortality; Puerto Ricans had higher rates of ischemic and hypertensive heart disease, and Mexicans had higher rates of cerebrovascular disease deaths.

Conclusions:

• Significant disparities in CVD mortality rates and trends exist among major US Hispanic subgroups.
• Current aggregate classification of Hispanics obscures crucial heterogeneity in CVD outcomes.
• Recognizing subgroup differences is vital for a comprehensive understanding of Hispanic health risks and effective public health strategies.