Given the proportion of the United States (US) population (>16%) composed of Hispanics and the anticipation for continued growth and aging of this ethnic group, Hispanics will comprise a significant consumer of US health care. Hispanics carry more diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and West African ancestry in certain subgroups as well as lower socioeconomic conditions than non-Hispanic whites all of which likely affect cardiac function. Pertinent literature is scarce with prior studies being limited by small sample size, inadequate representation of Hispanic heterogeneity, and outdated or less than comprehensive methodology. There are no population-based estimates of the prevalence of abnormal systolic and diastolic cardiac function for Hispanic adults. Our preliminary data suggest that there is more abnormal cardiac structure among Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic whites. We would therefore expect a high prevalence of abnormal cardiac function among Hispanic adults, but this has been understudied. The Hispanic Community Health Study - Study of Latinos (HCHS-SOL), an NIH-funded cohort of 16,000 Hispanic adults, represents a unique, and cost-effective, opportunity to implement a study to fill the gaps described. Specifically, we propose to establish a unique cohort, named ECHO-SOL (Echocardiographic Study of Latinos/Hispanics). Using a separate site visit to obtain an echocardiographic examination of a subsample of 1,800 Hispanic adults from HCHS-SOL to determine a population-based estimate of the prevalence of abnormal systolic and diastolic cardiac function in Hispanic adults, the degree of heterogeneity between Hispanic subgroups in cardiac function, and to establish the relationship of determinants particularly relevant to the Hispanic population (diabetes biomarkers and psychosocial / socioeconomic factors) to cardiac structure and function. The proposed study will provide for the first time the largest and most comprehensive dataset of echocardiographic parameters focused solely on US Hispanics and will be the first to untangle the relative importance of the heterogeneity between Hispanic subgroups and psychosocial / socioeconomic factors on cardiac structure and function among Hispanic adults. ECHO-SOL will be extremely promising in learning about Hispanic cardiovascular health and highly relevant to future public health planning.
The proposed study will obtain the largest and most comprehensive dataset of echocardiographic parameters focused solely on US Hispanics and will provide the first population-based estimates of the prevalence of abnormal systolic and diastolic cardiac function for Hispanic adults as well as untangle the relative importance of Hispanic subgroup heterogeneity, diabetes biomarkers and psychosocial / socioeconomic factors on cardiac structure and function among Hispanic adults. Investigation into this very important area will be extremely promising in learning about Hispanic cardiovascular health and highly relevant to future public health planning.
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