Influence of genetic risk factors on coronary heart disease occurrence in Afro-Caribbeans

Abstract Background Despite excessive rates of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity, Afro-Caribbeans have lower mortality rates from coronary heart disease (CHD) compared to Caucasians. This study evaluated the association of genetic risk markers previously identified in Caucasians, with CHD in Afro-Caribbeans. Methods We studied 537 Afro-Caribbeans subjects (178 CHD-cases and 359 controls) who were genotyped for 19 CHD-related SNPs. A genetic risk score (GRS) incorporating the 19 SNPs was calculated. These participants were compared to 1360 Caucasian subjects from the-second Northwick Park Heart Study. Results In Afro-Caribbeans, patients with CHD had higher rates of hypertension (78.7% vs 30.1%), hypercholesterolemia (52.8% vs 15.0%), diabetes (53.9% vs 14.8%), and were more often male (64.0% vs 43.7%) and smokers (27.5% vs 13.4%) compared to non-CHD controls (all p