Difference in Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Between Korean and Japanese Men

Jina Choo, Hirotsugu Ueshima, Yangsoo Jang, Kim Sutton-Tyrrell, Aiman El-Saed, Takashi Kadowaki, Tomoko Takamiya, Tomonori Okamura, Yoshiki Ueno, Yasuyuki Nakamura, Akira Sekikawa, J. David Curb, Lewis H. Kuller, Chol Shin

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    15 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Purpose: Koreans are recently at higher risk for coronary heart disease than are the Japanese. We aimed to evaluate levels of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and coronary risk factors in Korean and Japanese men in the post-World War II birth cohort. Methods: We conducted a population-based study of 352 randomly selected healthy men 40 to 49 years of age: 102 Koreans in Ansan City, Gyeonggi-do, Korea and 250 Japanese in Kusatsu City, Shiga, Japan. Imaging carotid IMT by ultrasonography and other procedures were standardized. Analyzing blood samples and reading carotid IMT were performed at the University of Pittsburgh. Results: Despite more favorable or similar features in coronary risk factors as compared to Japanese men, the Korean men had a higher crude IMT level than the Japanese men (mean ± standard error, 0.655 ± 0.008 mm vs 0.616 ± 0.005 mm, respectively, p < 0.0001). The difference in the levels of carotid IMT significantly remained after adjusting for metabolic and conventional risk factors (0.654 ± 0.008 mm vs. 0.616 ± 0.005 mm, respectively; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Among men 40 to 49 years of age, Koreans had significantly higher levels of carotid IMT than the Japanese. Factors that underlie the different susceptibility to subclinical atherosclerosis need to be explored.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)310-315
    Number of pages6
    JournalAnnals of Epidemiology
    Volume18
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2008 Apr

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This research was supported by grants from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (R01 HL68200), the Central Research Development at the University of Pittsburgh, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (B16790355 and A13307016), and the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Government budget code 2004-347-6111-213).

    Keywords

    • Atherosclerosis
    • Carotid Artery
    • Cohort Studies
    • Coronary Disease
    • Japanese
    • Koreans

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Epidemiology

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