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Nearly half of Hispanic Americans with high cholesterol unaware of their condition
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Nearly half of Hispanic Americans with high cholesterol are unaware of their condition, and fewer than one-third of those who are aware receive treatment, according to recent findings.
"Many Hispanics have high cholesterol, approximately 45%, probably due to a mix of genes and diet," researcher Carlos J. Rodriguez, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said in a press release. "What's more surprising is the lack of awareness, treatment and control. That needs to change since awareness is the first step in prevention."
Carlos J. Rodriguez
In the study, Rodriguez and colleagues evaluated baseline data of 16,415 patients enrolled in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a large, multisite, community-based cohort study of Hispanic adults.
The data were collected between 2008 and 2011 from 9,835 women and 6,580 men aged 18 to 74 years. Eligible participants met the following criteria: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, ability to travel to their local study site, proficiency in English or Spanish, and no plans to relocate. No exclusion criteria based on health status, comorbidities, legal residency or other factors were applied.
Trained staff collected demographic and medical history information using interviewer-administered questionnaires. The researchers identified participants as having prevalent high cholesterol if they were taking cholesterol-lowering medication or had LDL levels of at least 130 mg/dL and/or total cholesterol levels of at least 240 mg/dL.
The researchers determined participants’ cholesterol awareness based on their response to the following question: “Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health care professional that you had high cholesterol?” Patients who answered in the affirmative were then asked if they were taking prescription medication to manage their cholesterol.
High cholesterol was observed in 45% of the population. Among these participants, nearly half (49.3%) reported not being aware of their condition, and only 29.5% were being treated. Of the treated participants, 64.3% had achieved control.
High cholesterol was more common among men than women (44% vs. 40.5%), but men were less likely to be receiving treatment (28.1% of men vs. 30.6% of women). High cholesterol awareness was lower in younger adults vs. older adults, and patients with comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes were more likely to be aware of high cholesterol. Participants with higher socioeconomic status were also more likely to be aware of their high cholesterol. Women, uninsured individuals and recent immigrants had lower rates of cholesterol awareness.
Within the study population, participants of Puerto Rican or Dominican origin were more likely to be aware of and treated for their high cholesterol than those of Mexican or Central American origin. Participants of Cuban and South American background had the lowest high cholesterol control rates, whereas Puerto Rican participants had the highest rates of cholesterol control.
Clyde W. Yancy
U.S.-born Hispanic/Latino individuals had lower awareness rates than foreign-born participants; however, researchers noted that a significant association between longer U.S. residency and awareness, treatment and control of high cholesterol.
“Heart disease remains an equal opportunity threat to the health of everyone; no person is immune,” American Heart Association spokesman Clyde W. Yancy, MD, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, said in the press release. "We cannot rest on our triumphs as nearly 50% of those Latino Americans with high cholesterol are unaware of the presence of this risk factor for heart disease and, thus, remain exposed to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.” – by Jen Byrne
Disclosure: Rodriguez reports receiving consulting agreement/honorariums from Alnylam and Amgen, and research support from the NIH and the AHA.
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