Ethnicity and Onset of Cardiovascular Disease: A CALIBER Study

Overview

Specific cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and heart attack, have been shown to vary by ethnic group. However, less is known about differences between ethnic groups and a wider range of cardiovascular diseases. This study will examine differences between ethnic groups (White, Black, South Asian and Mixed/Other) and first lifetime presentation of twelve different cardiovascular diseases. This information may help to predict the onset of cardiovascular diseases and inform disease prevention strategies. The hypothesis is that different ethnic groups have differing associations with the range of cardiovascular diseases studied.

There is evidence from epidemiological studies that different ethnic groups are associated with increased incidence of specific cardiovascular diseases. However, the majority of existing studies have examined associations with one or two acute conditions such as stroke or coronary heart disease or focused on a particular ethnic group. The aim of this study is to examine the differing associations between four ethnic groups and the initial lifetime presentation of a broad range of cardiovascular diseases, including chronic presentations such as stable angina. The hypothesis is that there will be heterogeneity of associations between the different ethnic groups and the full range of cardiovascular diseases studied. The study will use data from the CALIBER data set of clinically collected electronic health record data from England. This study is part of the CALIBER (Cardiovascular disease research using linked bespoke studies and electronic records) programme funded over 5 years from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Wellcome Trust. The central theme of the CALIBER research is linkage of the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) with primary care (Clinical Practice Research Datalink - CPRD) and other resources. The overarching aim of CALIBER is to better understand the aetiology and prognosis of specific coronary phenotypes across a range of causal domains, particularly where electronic records provide a contribution beyond traditional studies. CALIBER has received both Ethics approval (ref 09/H0810/16) and ECC approval (ref ECC 2-06(b)/2009 CALIBER data set).