Coronary artery disease in blacks: risk factors.

The current literature indicates that of the major risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD), United States blacks and whites have similar rates for cigarette smoking and cholesterol levels. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is higher in black females than white females. Both black males and females have higher prevalence rates for hypertension. These differences in risk factors between blacks and whites in spite of similar degrees of CAD suggest that the relative importance of specific risk factors might differ between the two racial groups. Research is needed to determine if there are protective factors in blacks (e.g., high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and/or previously unrecognized risk factors (e.g., diuretic-induced lipid abnormalities) that may be playing a major role in the epidemiology of CAD in the black population.