Epidemiology of Coronary Heart Disease in Men Aged 40 and Over
Condition: Atherosclerosis; Coronary Arteriosclerosis; Coronary Disease; Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases
MeSH terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Heart Diseases; Atherosclerosis; Coronary Disease; Coronary Artery Disease; Myocardial Ischemia; Arteriosclerosis
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      To examine whether the prevalence of subclinical coronary and aortic atherosclerotic disease
      is different among Japanese in Japan, Japanese in Hawaii, and black and white Americans.
    

Detailed description: 
      BACKGROUND:

      Substantial change toward a more Westernized lifestyle has taken place among younger
      individuals who were born after World War II (WWII) in non-Western countries including Japan.
      Data from national sample surveys in Japan clearly demonstrate that risk factor profiles for
      coronary heart disease (CHD) are very similar to those in the United States (US) in this post
      WWII cohort. Men in Japan do have a considerably higher prevalence of cigarette smoking and
      men in the US have a higher prevalence of obesity. CHD mortality among men in Japan is,
      however, still less than a half of that in the US. Careful review of mortality statistics
      confirms this. This difference remains unique among industrialized countries.

      DESIGN NARRATIVE:

      The study is a collaboration between Dr. Akira Sekikawa at the University of Pittsburgh and
      Dr. J. David Curb of the Pacific Health Research Institute in Honolulu, Hawaii. The study
      tests the null hypothesis that there are no differences in the extent of atherosclerosis
      among Japanese men in Japan, Japanese American men in Hawaii, and US white and black men in
      this post WWII birth cohort. The project is based on recent and ongoing successful Japan/US
      collaborations in the INTERMAP, INTERLIPID and Honolulu Heart Program studies including
      development of the first standardized US/Japan diet tables. The investigators will examine
      300 white men and 100 black men aged 40-49, randomly selected from Allegheny County, PA, 300
      Japanese American men aged 40-49 from the population-based sample recruited from the
      offspring of the members of the Honolulu Heart Program cohort, and 300 Japanese men aged
      40-49, randomly selected from Kusatsu City, Japan. The Japanese recruitment and examination
      has already been supported in Japan. The extent of atherosclerosis and risk factor profiles
      for CHD will be evaluated and compared, as well as the relationship of specific risk factors
      to the measures of atherosclerosis. The measures of subclinical disease proposed include
      calcium scores of coronary artery and aorta measured by electron beam computed tomography
      (EBCT) and carotid intima thickness measured by ultrasound. Other proposed measures include
      dietary intake by food frequency questionnaire, total cholesterol, LDLc, HDLc, lipids by NMR
      spectroscopy, blood pressure, cigarette smoking, thiocyanate, omega-3 fatty acid, alcohol
      consumption, body mass index (BMI), intra-abdominal fat, and others.
    

Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Male community members from geographically defined areas (Pittsburgh, PA, Honolulu, HI, and
        Japan)
      
Biospecimen description: 
      Blood samples (serum and plasma), buffy coat for DNA