Background: Previous studies reported low prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) despite an increasing prevalence of metabolic abnormalities in immigrants who moved from low CVD-risk regions to Western countries. Nevertheless, little is known about hospital admissions due to CVD in immigrants. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of East Africa immigrants (EAI), Former Soviet Union immigrants (FSUI) and native-born Israelis (NBI) over 11-year period. Associations between ethnicity, age, sex, CVD, and hospital admission were assessed using logistic and Poisson regression models. Incidence density rates per person-years were calculated. Results: The age-adjusted prevalence rates of ischemic heart disease in EAI, FSUI and NBI, respectively, were 1.8%, 8.2%, and 5.8%, respectively (p < 0.001). The corresponding rates for stroke were 2.6%, 3.5%, and 2.5%, respectively. Multivariate odds ratios for all CVD were found to be significantly lower in EAI for both sexes. Hospitalizations rate due to CVD were 9, 17, and 6 per 1000 person-years in EAI, FSUI and NBI, respectively (p < 0.001). EAI were more likely to be hospitalized due to hypertensive disease, cerebral vascular diseases and heart disease, in comparison to NBI and FSUI. However, when controlling for CVD risk factors profile, EAI had similar admission rates to NBI. EAI were more likely to be hospitalized in internal medicine, geriatrics, and neurology departments, and less likely to be admitted to intensive care units or surgical department. Conclusions: EAI had low rates of all types of CVD, and low risk of hospitalization after controlling for CVD risk factors profile. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.

Ethiopian immigrants Former Soviet Union immigrants Hospital admission Ethnicity cardiovascular disease

hospital admission immigrant surgical ward hospitalization cardiovascular risk congestive heart failure logistic regression analysis cerebrovascular accident human Israeli sex difference middle aged Odds Ratio controlled study priority journal hypertension geographic distribution USSR intensive care unit Aged African cardiovascular disease male female geriatric hospital transient ischemic attack heart disease peripheral vascular disease neurology prevalence Incidence Article major clinical study adult ischemic heart disease cohort analysis age distribution ethnicity retrospective study East African cerebrovascular disease Internal Medicine