Heart Disease Risk Increases for Immigrants the Longer They Live in the United States

TUESDAY, Oct. 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases the longer U.S. immigrants reside in the country, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology Middle East 2025 Together With 16th Emirates Cardiac Society Conference, held from Oct. 3 to 5 in Dubai.

Prachi Dawer, from the University College of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, and colleagues used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011 to 2016) to compare CVD risk factors among U.S.-born and foreign-born adults (15,965 individuals).

The researchers found that 85.4 percent of U.S.-born and 80.1 percent of foreign-born adults had at least one CVD risk factor. Among foreign-born adults, those residing in the United States for <15 years showed a lower adjusted prevalence of hypertension (38.3 versus 48.5 percent), hypercholesterolemia (27.8 versus 30.0 percent), and smoking (12.5 versus 19.9 percent) compared with U.S.-born adults. In contrast, foreign-born individuals residing in the United States for >15 years showed an increased prevalence of diabetes (15.4 versus 11.2 percent) and hypercholesterolemia (29.4 versus 30.0 percent) compared with their U.S.-born counterparts. 

“We see that as immigrants are exposed to U.S. dietary and lifestyle habits for prolonged periods of time, it has a negative effect on their heart health,” coauthor Krishna Moparthi, from the John. F. Kennedy University School of Medicine in Curacao, said in a statement. “There is a need for targeted public health interventions that address the evolving cardiovascular health risks among immigrant populations and raise awareness on effective prevention strategies.”

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