Temporal Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence Among Asian American Subgroups

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Asian and multiracial populations are the fastest-growing demographic groups in the US.
• Limited data exists on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence among disaggregated Asian subgroups.
• Prior studies often group diverse Asian ethnicities together, masking subgroup-specific trends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate temporal trends in CVD burden among disaggregated Asian subgroups.
• To compare CVD prevalence and changes over time across various racial and ethnic groups.
• To identify specific subgroups with increasing CVD prevalence.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of CVD prevalence using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 and ICD-10) codes.
• Inclusion of patients from a mixed-payer healthcare organization in California (2008-2018).
• Classification into self-identified subgroups: non-Hispanic White (NHW), Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and multiracial.
• Logistic regression used to compare adjusted trends in CVD prevalence over time by subgroup.

Main Results:

• CVD prevalence increased faster in most Asian and multiracial subgroups compared to NHW (P<0.01).
• Filipino patients had the highest overall CVD prevalence (34.3% to 45.1% over 11 years).
• Asian Indian patients showed the fastest increase in CVD prevalence (16.9% to 23.7%).
• Hypertension prevalence increased significantly in Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and multiracial groups.
• Coronary artery disease prevalence increased significantly in Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese groups.

Conclusions:

• The rising CVD prevalence in disaggregated Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and multiracial subgroups necessitates tailored public health interventions.
• Understanding subgroup-specific CVD trends is critical for effective prevention and management strategies.
• Addressing health disparities in cardiovascular health among diverse populations is a key public health priority.