title: Ethnicity and peripheral arterial disease: the San Diego Population Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have indicated higher rates of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in blacks than in non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), with limited information available for Hispanics and Asians. The reason for the PAD excess in blacks is unclear.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ethnic-specific PAD prevalence rates were determined in a randomly selected defined population that included 4 ethnic groups; NHWs, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. A total of 2343 participants aged 29 to 91 years were evaluated. There were 104 cases of PAD (4.4%). In weighted logistic models with NHWs as the reference group and containing demographic factors only, blacks had a higher PAD prevalence than NHWs (OR=2.30, P<0.024), whereas PAD rates in Hispanics and Asians, although somewhat lower, were not significantly different from NHWs. Blacks had significantly more diabetes and hypertension than NHWs and a significantly higher body mass index. Inclusion of these variables and other PAD risk factors in the model did not change the effect size for black ethnicity (OR=2.34, P=0.048). A model containing interaction terms for black ethnicity and each of the other risk factors revealed no significant interaction terms, which indicates no evidence that blacks were more "susceptible" than NHWs to cardiovascular disease risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Black ethnicity was a strong and independent risk factor for PAD, which was not explained by higher levels of diabetes, hypertension, and body mass index. There was no evidence of a greater susceptibility of blacks to cardiovascular disease risk factors as a reason for their higher PAD prevalence. Thus, the excess risk of PAD in blacks remains unexplained and requires further study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA. mcriqui@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Criqui
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Julie O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Denenberg
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gamst
authors.forename: Warner P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Bundens
authors.forename: Arnost
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fronek
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001830:Body Surface Area; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications