Asian and Pacific Islanders

There is limited information on the risks and benefits of lipid management for reduction of CHD and CVD in this population. The Honolulu Heart Program is an ongoing prospective study of CHD and stroke in a cohort of Japanese American men living in Hawaii. In this study, CHD and CVD mortality rates are lower than in the general U.S. population, and the Framingham risk scoring system appears to overestimate actual risk.

Even so, despite limited data suggesting some differences in baseline risk between Asian and Pacific Islanders and American white populations, the ATP III panel concludes that the evidence for differences is not strong enough to justify separate guidelines for Asian Americans and Pacific Islander populations. Therefore, no separate algorithm for lipid management should be recommended and the same guidelines and risk stratification groupings are appropriate for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as for other populations.