Eligibility for cardiovascular risk screening among different ethnic groups: The HELIUS study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Cardiovascular risk factors manifest at different ages across ethnic groups, suggesting a need for tailored screening protocols.
• European guidelines increasingly recommend ethnic-specific adjustments for cardiovascular risk assessment, reinforcing the necessity for ethnic-specific screening thresholds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate ethnic variations in the age at which individuals become eligible for cardiovascular risk screening.
• To assess the impact of implementing ethnic-specific risk factor modifications on cardiovascular screening eligibility ages.

Main Methods:

• The study analyzed data from 18,031 participants from diverse ethnic backgrounds in the HELIUS study (Amsterdam).
• Eligibility for cardiovascular risk screening was determined based on blood pressure, estimated cardiovascular risk, and European guideline-recommended ethnic-specific risk conversions.
• Logistic regression models were used to compare age-specific eligibility proportions across ethnic groups.

Main Results:

• Dutch men and women initiated screening at average ages of 51.5 and 53.4 years, respectively.
• Ethnic minority men and women became eligible for screening at significantly earlier average ages, ranging from 36.8 to 52.4 years.
• The application of ethnic-specific risk conversion factors had a negligible impact on the age of screening initiation across all groups.

Conclusions:

• Ethnic minority populations generally reach eligibility criteria for cardiovascular risk screening at younger ages compared to the Dutch population.
• Lower age thresholds for cardiovascular risk screening may be beneficial for most ethnic minority groups to facilitate early intervention.