AUTHOR=Abu-Much Arsalan , Nof Eyal , Bragazzi Nicola Luigi , Younis Anan , Hochstein David , Younis Arwa , Shlomo Nir , Fardman Alexander , Goldenberg Ilan , Klempfner Robert , Beinart Roy 

TITLE=Ethnic Disparity in Mortality Among Ischemic Heart Disease Patients. A-20 Years Outcome Study From Israel

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.661390

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.661390

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Long-term morbidity and mortality data among ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients of different ethnicities are conflicting. We sought to determine the independent association of ethnicity and all-cause mortality over two decades of follow-up of Israeli patients.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Our study comprised 15,524 patients including 958 (6%) Arab patients who had been previously enrolled in the Bezafibrate Infarction Prevention (BIP) registry between February 1, 1990, and October 31, 1992, and subsequently followed-up for long-term mortality. We compared clinical characteristics and outcomes of Israeli Arabs and Jews. Propensity score matching (PSM) (1:2 ratios) was used for validation.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Arab patients were significantly younger (56 ± 7 years vs. 60 ± 7 years; <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001; respectively), and had more cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that all-cause mortality was significantly higher among Arab patients (67 vs. 61%; log-rank <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Multivariate adjusted analysis showed that mortality risk was 49% greater (HR 1.49; 95% CI: 1.37–1.62; <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) among Arabs.</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> Arab ethnicity is independently associated with an increased 20-year all-cause mortality among patients with established IHD.</p>