Association between diabetes and coronary heart disease in Aboriginal people: are women disadvantaged?
OBJECTIVE
To determine the incidence rate of coronary heart disease (CHD) in Australian Aboriginal people with type 2 diabetes, and to compare the impact of diabetes on CHD risk in Aboriginal women and men.


METHODS
Cohort study.


METHODS
A remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory.


METHODS
889 Aboriginal people aged 20-74 years followed up to 31 May 2003 after baseline examination in 1992-1995.


METHODS
Incidence rates of CHD (estimated for 123 participants with diabetes at baseline and 701 "non-diabetes" participants); rate ratios for diabetes risk (95% CI), with "non-diabetes" participants as the reference group.


RESULTS
Participants with diabetes at baseline had a higher rate of CHD (37.5 per 1000 person-years) than those without diabetes (7.3 per 1000 person-years). Adjustment for multiple CHD risk factors, such as age, smoking, alcohol consumption, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol levels, resulted in a CHD rate ratio for women of 3.7 (95% CI, 1.6-8.9) (comparing women with diabetes with those without) and a CHD rate ratio for men of 1.4 (95% CI, 0.4-4.1) (comparing men with diabetes with those without).


CONCLUSIONS
Aboriginal women with diabetes experienced a significantly higher risk of CHD than women without diabetes. Although the difference was not statistically significant, women with diabetes had a higher CHD risk than men with diabetes.
Wang
Zhiqiang
Z
Department of Medicine, School of Medicine - Central Clinical Division, University of Queensland, F4, Block 6, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston. zwang@ccs.uq.edu.au
Hoy
Wendy E
WE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000208:ethnology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015876:Northern Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D000095283:Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples