Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether there are differences in the immigrant population in terms of the years since their arrival in Spain and their geographical area of origin. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three immigrant groups. PARTICIPANTS: The groups selected were: a group of Latin American immigrants (298), a group of North African immigrants (130) and a group from Eastern Europe (114). A control group of 100 from a Spanish population of similar age and sex was also included. METHODS: Anthropometric variables were measured, including biochemical inflammatory markers, blood pressure and cardiovascular risk estimation according to the tables of the European Societies of Hypertension and Cardiology. RESULTS: The cardiovascular risk of the three groups of immigrants is similar between them (added cardiovascular risk high or very high at 5.5% in Latin Americans, 4.3% in North Africans, and 1.6% in immigrants from eastern countries), but significantly lower than the Spanish control group (28%). After 8 years in Spain, cardiovascular risk increases in the three groups of immigrants, with those from North Africa and eastern countries being comparable to the Spanish group (added cardiovascular risk high or very high of 18.5% in North Africans, and 20% in group from eastern countries). This cardiovascular risk was higher than the other groups, including the Spanish control group (Latin American immigrants 48.7% vs 28% in Spanish group). CONCLUSIONS: The cardiovascular risk of immigrants increases over the years in Spain, with this increase being higher if they come from Latin America. This increase becomes clinically significant after the 8 years of stay in Spain.