The Characteristics of Risk Factors in Korean CAD Patients Comparing to American Counterpart and Its Implications to Prevention of CAD

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to understand the difference in the risk factors of coronary artery disease (CAD) between Korean and American CAD patients to determine the discriminant factor for each group, as well as to provide useful information to be reflected in the national concern of health. METHODS: Data were collected from 248 Korean and 107 American CAD patients who underwent either percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting. By using t-test and $X^2$-test, risk factors were compared between the Koreans and Americans. To elucidate which risk factor was the most discriminant for each group, logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: All risk factors, except diastolic blood pressure, showed a significant difference between the two groups. $X^2$-test showed statistical significance with respect to the smoking rate between the female groups. Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding blood total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride, and between the male groups, here was a statistically significant difference with respect to blood high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). Diabetes mellitus (DM) was the most discriminant factor for Korean patients while TC/HDL is the most discriminant for the Americans. CONCLUSION: The characteristics of CAD risk factors were determined to be different between Koreans and Americans in this study. TC/HDL was a discriminant factor for Americans while DM was a discriminant factor for Koreans. This result implies that DM should primarily be given attention to prevent CAD in Korean adults.