title: A comparison of risk factors for mortality from heart failure in Asian and non-Asian populations: an overview of individual participant data from 32 prospective cohorts from the Asia-Pacific Region.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most of what is known regarding the epidemiology of mortality from heart failure (HF) comes from studies within Western populations with few data available from the Asia-Pacific region where the burden of heart failure is increasing.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individual level data from 543694 (85% Asian; 36% female) participants from 32 cohorts in the Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration were included in the analysis. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for mortality from HF were estimated separately for Asians and non-Asians for a quintet of cardiovascular risk factors: systolic blood pressure, diabetes, body mass index, cigarette smoking and total cholesterol. All analyses were stratified by sex and study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 3,793,229 person years of follow-up there were 614 HF deaths (80% Asian). The positive associations between elevated blood pressure, obesity, and cigarette smoking were consistent for Asians and non-Asians. There was evidence to indicate that diabetes was a weaker risk factor for death from HF for Asians compared with non-Asians: HR 1.26 (95% CI: 0.74-2.13) versus 3.04 (95% CI 1.76-5.25) respectively; p for interaction = 0.022. Additional adjustment for covariates did not materially change the overall associations. There was no good evidence to indicate that total cholesterol was a risk factor for HF mortality in either population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most traditional cardiovascular risk factors including elevated blood pressure, obesity and cigarette smoking appear to operate similarly to increase the risk of death from HF in Asians and non-Asians populations alike.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology & Biostatistics Division, School of Population Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. r.huxley@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Rachel R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Huxley
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barzi
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giles
authors.forename: Tai Hing
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Kazem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rahimi
authors.forename: Suma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Konety
authors.forename: Takayoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohkubo
authors.forename: Sun Ha
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.forename: Xianghua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woodward
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D044466:Asian People; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D013997:Time Factors