title: Roma coronary heart disease patients have more medical risk factors and greater severity of coronary heart disease than non-Roma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common cause of mortality and morbidity world-wide. Evidence on ethnic differences between the Roma and non-Roma regarding medical risk factors is scarce. The aim of this study was to assess differences in medical risk factors and the severity of CHD in Roma compared with non-Roma CHD patients, adjusted for gender, age and education.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred seventy four patients were included in this cross-sectional study (132 Roma, 542 non-Roma). Data on medical risk factors, symptoms, medication and severity of CHD were obtained from medical records. After matching Roma and non-Roma according to education, linear and logistic regression analyses with adjustments for gender and age were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with non-Roma, Roma patients had significantly more risk factors and more severe types of CHD. They were treated less frequently with statins and beta-blockers, were more frequently left on pharmacotherapy and surgically revascularised. These differences remained after controlling for education, gender and age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Roma CHD patients have a worse risk profile at entry of care and seem to be undertreated compared with non-Roma CHD patients.
authors.affiliation: East Slovakian Institute for Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Cardiology Clinic, Ondavska 8, Kosice, 040 01, Slovak Republic. asudzinova@vusch.sk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sudzinova
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nagyova
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Studencan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosenberger
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Skodova
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vargova
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Middel
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Reijneveld
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: van Dijk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054525:Minority Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D006178:Romani People; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018154:Slovakia; D055815:Young Adult
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