title: Stroke Disparities: Disaggregating Native Hawaiians from other Pacific Islanders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the clinical characteristics of Native Hawaiians (NH) and other Pacific Islanders (PI) who are hospitalized with ischemic stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of medical records.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary, Primary Stroke Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients with race/ethnicity identified as NH or PI who were hospitalized for ischemic stroke between January 2006 and December 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) utilization rate and hospital length of stay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 561 patients (57% NH and 43% PI) were studied. PI were younger (59 ± 13 years vs 62 ± 14 years, P = .002), had higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (58% vs 41%, P < .0001) and prosthetic valve (6% vs 2%, P = .007), lower prevalence of smoking (14% vs 21%, P = .03), lower HDL cholesterol (38 ± 11 mg/dL vs 41 ± 13 mg/dL, P = .004), and higher discharge diastolic blood pressure (79 ± 15 vs 76 mm Hg ± 14 mm Hg, P = .04) compared to NH. No difference was seen in other cardiovascular risk factors. The IV-tPA utilization rate (5% vs 6%, P = .48) and the hospital length of stay (10 ± 17 days vs 10 ± 49 days, P = .86) were not different between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders with ischemic stroke have modestly different age of stroke presentation and burden of risk factors compared to each other. Disaggregating these two racial groups may be important to unmask any potential clinical differences in future studies.
authors.forename: Kazuma
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: Pippa R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Asai
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006254:Hawaii / Q000208:ethnology; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044468:Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010139:Pacific Islands / Q000208:ethnology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator