Risk Factor Effects and Total Mortality in Older Japanese Men in Japan and Hawaii

purpose We sought to identify factors related to total mortality in older Japanese men in Japan and Hawaii. Methods Baseline data were collected from 1980 to 1982 in 1379 men in Hawaii and 954 men in Japan. Ages ranged from 61 to 81 years, with mortality follow-up during a 19-year period. Results Compared with Japan, men in Hawaii had a 2-fold excess of diabetes and a 4-fold excess of prevalent coronary heart disease ( P P P P Conclusions Cigarette smoking and hypertension explain much of the excess mortality in Japan versus Hawaii. In this comparison of genetically similar cohorts, evidence further suggests that Japanese in Japan are equally susceptible to develop the same adverse risk factor conditions that exist in Hawaii.