The Family Risk Score for coronary heart disease: associations with lipids, lipoproteins, and body habitus in a middle-aged bi-racial cohort: The ARIC study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between the Family Risk Score (FRS) for coronary heart disease (CHD) and body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipoprotein(a) protein [Lp(a)].


METHODS
FRS was computed from observed and expected CHD events using family data collected from 11467 black and white adults of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (ARIC). BMI, WHR, and lipids adjusted for study center, race, education, BMI (except BMI), WHR (except for BMI and WHR), cigarette smoking, alcohol, and Keys' score were compared among low (FRS < -0.5), average (-0.5 to 0.5), and high (> 0.5) FRS using analysis of covariance. The association between FRS and these risk factors was compared to that for simpler estimates of family risk.


RESULTS
Adjusted means of BMI, WHR, LDL, LP(a), and triglycerides were positively associated with FRS, whereas HDL cholesterol was inversely associated with FRS. Of demographic and behavioral factors, cigarette smoking was most strongly associated with FRS. Based on additional comparisons of adjusted means, high vs. low levels of FRS appear to correlate better with CHD risk factors than do the simpler family history assessments.


CONCLUSIONS
In situations were genetic or clinical information is not available, FRS may be a favorable measure of familial burden for CHD.
Division of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
M A
MA
Pereira
P J
PJ
Schreiner
J S
JS
Pankow
R R
RR
Williams
M
M
Higgins
M A
MA
Province
D C
DC
Rao
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People
D008055:Lipids; D008074:Lipoproteins