Cardiovascular risk factors in Assyrians/Syrians and native Swedes with type 2 diabetes: a population-based epidemiological study

Abstract

BackgroundA large number of people throughout the world have diabetes and the prevalence is increasing. Persons with diabetes have a twice higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those without diabetes. There is a lack of studies focusing on cardiovascular risk factors in Assyrians/Syrians with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of some cardiovascular risk factors among Assyrians/Syrians and native Swedes with type 2 diabetes and to study whether the association between ethnicity and cardio-vascular risk factors remains after adjustment for age, gender, employment status and housing tenure.MethodsIn the Swedish town of Södertälje 173 Assyrians/Syrians and 181 ethnic Swedes with type 2 diabetes participated in a study evaluating cardiovascular risk factors such as increased haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), high blood lipids (total serum cholesterol and triglycerides), hypertension and high urinary albumin. The associations between the outcome variables and sociodemographic characteristics were estimated using unconditional logistic regression.ResultsThe prevalence of increased triglycerides in Swedish-born subjects and Assyrian-Syrians was 61.5% and 39.7% respectively. Swedes had a prevalence of hypertension 76.8% compared to 57.8% in Assyrians/Syrians. In the final logistic models adjusted for gender, age, housing and employment the odds ratio (OR) for Swedish-born subjects for increased triglycerides was 2.80 (95% CI1.61-4.87) and for hypertension 2.32 (95% CI 1.35-4.00) compared to Assyrians-Syrians.ConclusionEthnic Swedes had higher prevalence of increased triglycerides and hypertension than Assyrians/Syrians. Total cholesterol, HbA1c and urinary albumin did not differ between the two ethnic groups.

Country‐of‐birth differences in adverse health behaviours among people with type 2 diabetes

“…In the current study, people with diabetes who were born in the Middle East were more likely to report insufficient physical activity than Australian‐born participants. This was consistent with a study in Sweden that found the proportion of people with diabetes who had ≥3 hours of total physical activity in the winter was lowest in those coming from the Middle East 29 . Results of a study of people with diabetes in the US showed that Mexican Americans and African Americans were more likely to report no physical activity 31 and another study from the US reported that blacks were less likely to exercise (OR 0.63, 95%CI 0.51, 0.79), while Hispanics and ‘others’ were not significantly different from whites 32 .…”

“…In this study, when compared to Australia‐born people with diabetes, current smoking was almost three times more frequent among people with diabetes born in Middle Eastern countries and 1.5 times more common in those born in the UK. In contrast, a study in Sweden 29 found that people with diabetes born in the Middle East were less likely to smoke than Swedish people (16.9% versus 18.3%), but this difference was not statistically significant. In a study in the Netherlands, Turkish migrants with diabetes were less likely to smoke than Dutch people 30 .…”

“…This was consistent with a study in Sweden that found the proportion of people with diabetes who had ≥3 hours of total physical activity in the winter was lowest in those coming from the Middle East. 29 Results of a study of people with diabetes in the US showed that Mexican Americans and African Americans were more likely to report no physical activity 31 and another study from the US reported that blacks were less likely to exercise (OR 0.63, 95%CI 0.51, 0.79), while Hispanics and 'others' were not significantly different from whites. 32 Little or no comparative information about physical activity levels in people with diabetes is available from research in other multiethnic populations.…”

Ethnic Variation in the Association of Hypertension With Type 2 Diabetes

“…For example, findings from studies involving both American and non‐American blacks and whites confirmed that blacks have a higher prevalence of hypertension than whites even in areas with similar socioeconomic status . Ethnic diversity in the prevalence of HTN in diabetes has been previously suggested by few studies conducted mainly in immigrants and their offspring living in Western countries . Two studies from the United Kingdom have shown a significantly lower prevalence of HTN in diabetic patients of Indo‐Asian origin compared with whites, and higher prevalence of HTN among Afro‐Caribbean patients .…”

“…Two studies from the United Kingdom have shown a significantly lower prevalence of HTN in diabetic patients of Indo‐Asian origin compared with whites, and higher prevalence of HTN among Afro‐Caribbean patients . In a study conducted in Sweden comparing Assyrians/Syrians and native Swedes, the latter had a 2.3‐fold higher prevalence of HTN …”