Implications of the 2021 ESC cardiovascular risk classification among 283,000 European immigrants living in a low-risk region: a population-based analysis in Catalonia.

Introduction: The ESC recently classified European countries into 4 cardiovascular risk regions. However, whether Europeans from higher-risk countries living in lower-risk regions may benefit from intensive cardiovascular prevention efforts is unknown. We described the burden of risk factors and cardiovascular disease (CVD) among European-born immigrants living in Catalonia, a low-risk region. Material and methods: A retrospective cohort study of 5.6 million adults of European origin living in Catalonia in 2019, including 282,789 European-born immigrants, was performed. We used the regionwide healthcare database and classified participants into 5 groups: low-, moderate-, high-, and very high-risk, and local-born. Age-standardized prevalence was estimated as of December 31 Results: The very high-risk group was the largest immigrant group ( Conclusions: In Catalonia, residents born in high- and very-high-risk European countries are at increased risk of coronary heart disease and newly diagnosed risk factors. Low-risk European countries may consider tailored prevention efforts, early screening of risk factors, and adequate healthcare resource planning to better address the health needs of men and women from higher-risk countries.