Prevalence of heart attack and stroke and associated risk factors among Inuit in Canada: A comparison with the general Canadian population

Background

It is generally believed that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is rare in the Inuit population because of their traditional marine-based diet, but the evidence is inconsistent.

Objective

To describe the cardiovascular health profile of Canadian Inuit, including disease prevalence, risk factors, country food consumption, and contaminant exposure, and compare to that of the general Canadian population.

Methods

Cardiovascular outcomes and risk factors were obtained for 2070 Inuit adults aged 20–79 years from the Inuit Health Survey (IHS, 2007–2008) and for 3464 general Canadian adults aged 20–79 years from the Canadian Health Measures Survey, Cycle 1 (CHMS, 2007–2009) and Cycle 3 (2012–2013). Sex- and age-specific (20–39, 40–59, 60–79) estimates are reported. To compare results between the IHS and CHMS, age-standardized estimates were calculated for males and females, using the CHMS as the reference population.

Results

Inuit had higher prevalence of heart attack (3.1% vs. 1.8% females), stroke (2.1% vs. 0.8% males and 2.2% vs. 1.0% females), diabetes (14.6% vs. 9.0% elderly females), obesity (35.8% vs. 24.2% females), and hypertension (12.2% vs. 2.5% young males and 7.5% vs. 2.5% young females). However, Inuit had better blood lipid profile (hyperlipidemia: 29.0% vs. 46.5% males and 28.4% vs. 35.2% females). Metals and persistent organic pollutant exposures were higher among the Inuit compared with general Canadians.

Conclusion

Inuit and the general Canadian population differ in cardiovascular health profiles. Further research is needed to characterize the health transition among Inuit, especially among the youth and female.