BMC Med. 2026 Mar 3. doi: 10.1186/s12916-026-04739-6. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of premature death in England, with ethnic minority populations disproportionately affected, largely due to differences in socioeconomic factors, exposure and/or susceptibility to CVD risk factors. Midlife risk assessment does not fully account for observed variation in CVD incidence and mortality. Early and precise quantification of risk factor burden across diverse populations is therefore essential to inform targeted prevention strategies. This study assessed the prevalence of CVD risk factors in apparently healthy individuals residing in London.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included CVD-free individuals aged 30-90 years residing in London and registered with general practices using the Egton Medical Information Systems (EMIS) electronic health record system. Unadjusted, crude estimates of traditional CVD risk factors were assessed across participants of different ethnicities who underwent a CVD risk assessment between 2009-2020.
RESULTS: Among 607,327 registered individuals, 83,414 were included (52.0% women, median age 45 [IQR:36-48] years). Ethnic distribution was as follows: White (43.6%), Asian (30.1%), Black (9.7%), Chinese/Other (4.0%), Mixed (2.1%). Overall, 7.8% were current smokers, 31.5% had obesity (universally defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30.0 kg/m2), 48.5% had elevated blood pressure (BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg), 44.9% had hypercholesterolemia (≥ 5.0 mmol/l), 28.2% had elevated triglycerides (TG) ≥ 1.7 mmol/l, and 25.9% had low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C < 1.0/1.3 mmol/l for males/females, respectively). Smoking prevalence was highest among White individuals (9.7%). Obesity prevalence varied across groups, with higher proportions in Black participants (42.3%) and lower in Asian individuals (26.1%). Elevated BP was recorded more frequently in Mixed (54.9%) and Black (53.0%) participants and less frequently in those classified as Chinese/Other (42.7%). Total cholesterol ≥ 5.0 mmol/L was more commonly documented in Mixed (56.8%) and White (49.8%) participants. Higher proportions of Asian individuals had elevated TG (30.9%) and low HDL-C (31.6%), while corresponding proportions were lower among Black participants (14.4% and 19.5%, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: This large-scale analysis of a diverse population suggests variation in CVD risk factor burden among relatively young individuals without CVD. While not implying causality, these findings reflect inequalities between ethnic groups and support an appraisal of early, tailored, and equitable public health policies to improve CVD risk management across diverse populations.
PMID:41776590 | DOI:10.1186/s12916-026-04739-6