Variations In Cvd Risk Factors And Age In African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

Background: As the United States and other countries face the prospect of a rapidly aging population, promoting health for people as they get older should become a strategy for preventing disease, and assuring the maximum quality of life possible. This review examines how selected risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) evolve during the aging process. The authors seek to elucidate the variations in selected CVD risk factors based on age in the Jackson Heart Study African American cohort in Exam 1 (2000-2004). Methods: Risk factors selected for examination in this report include: anthropometry measures, including Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference, and neck circumference; biological measures that included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and glucose levels; lipids that included HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol; structural risk factors that included Left Ventricular Mass and Cystatin C; psycho-social factors that was represented by depression scores. The JHS participants’ mean scores were compiled and stratified by age and gender. The analyses were examined to determine how the risk of cardiovascular disease manifests in African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study by age. Results: This study confirmed an interaction between age and selected cardiovascular risk factors among the African American cohort of the Jackson Heart Study which can facilitate an understanding of differences in risk factors in at-risk populations. Conclusions: An understanding of the age-associated transitions can assist with strategies to promote health and prevent, reduce, delay, or treat cardiovascular diseases in the people as they advance in years. Keywords: Jackson Heart Study, Aging, Risk Factors, Cardiovascular Disease, African Americans.