title: The effect of age on cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese women.
abstract: Chinese women traditionally have a low incidence of coronary heart disease. However, information on cardiovascular risk factors in this population are relatively scarce. We examined these risk factors in 601 Hong Kong Chinese women (age+/-SEM, 38.5+/-0.4 years; range, 18-66 years) stratified into four age groups (group 1, < or =30 years; group 2, 31-40 years; group 3, 41-50 years; group 4, > or =51 years). Increasing age in Chinese women was associated with increased body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, apolipoprotein B, fasting and 2-h plasma glucose, glycated haemoglobin, fasting plasma insulin and urate concentrations. After adjustment for body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and smoking, all these age-related associations remained statistically significant except for fasting plasma insulin concentration. There was a progressive increase with age in the prevalence of glucose intolerance, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and obesity. These prevalence rates further increased in subjects aged 51 years (the mean menopausal age in Asian women) or above. These findings suggest that age had an important and independent effect on cardiovascular risk in Chinese women and that, as in Caucasians, the onset of menopause might further increase this risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: V T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Yeung
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Wai
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: So
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Cockram
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids