The epidemiology of atherosclerosis and its risk factors among Native Americans.

In the past, the rates of risk factors for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as the manifestations of coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease in Native Americans have been relatively low compared to the general United States population. However, over the past several decades the rates of these CVD-associated risk factors have markedly increased with the concomitant development of a significant and alarming rise in the manifestations of atherosclerosis.