The impact of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union on the severity of coronary angiographic findings in a public hospital in Israel.
BACKGROUND
The arrival of 610,000 new immigrants to Israel from the former Soviet republics accounted for 58% of the population growth in the early 1990's.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the coronary angiographic findings and risk factors between the new immigrants and local Jewish and Arab patients in this era of cost containment.


RESULTS
A total of 550 consecutive patients--314 Jews, 95 new immigrants and 141 Arabs--were catheterized and analyzed during a 5 month period in 1995. Of this group 403 were males (73%). The mean age was 63.6 +/- 10.2 years among new immigrants, 62.4 +/- 9.4 among Jews, and 55.1 +/- 10.9 among Arabs (P < 0.05). Immigrants, including those under age 60, had the highest prevalence of multivessel disease (88.7%). Arabs had a high prevalence of single vessel disease (34.6%) and a low prevalence of multivessel (65.4%) and left main coronary disease (5.6%). Age, gender, risk factors and ethnic origin in descending order were determinants of the extent of coronary angiographic disease as revealed by multiple regression analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
New immigrants had the most extensive angiographic coronary involvement, while Arab patients were younger and had less severe coronary artery disease. More intensive risk factor modification may have a major impact on disease progression particularly in the new immigrant subgroup.
Abinader
E G
EG
Coronary Care Unit, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel. abinader@netvision.net.il
Sharif
D S
DS
Kharash
L
L
Mamedov
K
K
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007585:Jews / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014586:USSR / Q000208:ethnology