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Prevalence of risk factors in men with premature coronary artery disease
J J Genest1, J R McNamara, D N Salem
1Lipid Metabolism Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.
Insights
Men with premature coronary artery disease (CAD) have a high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Most patients with CAD had at least one additional risk factor, unlike the general population.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Epidemiology
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Premature coronary artery disease (CAD) significantly impacts public health.
- Identifying modifiable risk factors is crucial for early intervention and prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in men with premature CAD.
- To compare these risk factors with those in a general population sample (Framingham Offspring Study).
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 321 men under 60 with premature CAD.
- Coronary angiography documented CAD.
- Prevalence of systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, LDL, and HDL cholesterol was assessed.
- Comparison with data from the Framingham Offspring Study.
Main Results:
- 97% of premature CAD patients had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, compared to 69% in the Framingham Offspring Study.
- Significantly higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and low HDL in CAD patients.
- No significant difference in high LDL cholesterol prevalence between groups.
Conclusions:
- Men with premature CAD exhibit a substantially higher burden of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors.
- These findings underscore the importance of aggressive risk factor management in younger men with CAD.
Abstract:
The prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol greater than or equal to 160 mg/dl and high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol less than 35 mg/dl) was determined in 321 men less than 60 years of age (mean +/- standard deviation 50 +/- 7) with premature coronary artery disease (CAD) documented at coronary angiography. The prevalence of these risk factors was markedly different than in the Framingham Offspring Study population, used here as a comparison group. In the patients with CAD, only 3% had no risk factor (other than male sex), compared with 31% in the Framingham Offspring Study subjects. Most patients with CAD (97%) had greater than or equal to 1 additional risk factor. When the patients with CAD were divided by age groups (40 to 49 years [n = 109], 50 to 59 [n = 191]), no significant differences were observed in the prevalence of risk factors between the young and older patients. The prevalence of systemic hypertension (41 vs 19%, p less than 0.001), diabetes mellitus (12 vs 1.1%, p less than 0.001), cigarette smoking (67 vs 28%, p less than 0.001) and HDL cholesterol less than 35 mg/dl (63 vs 19%, p less than 0.001) was markedly higher in the patients with CAD than in Framingham Offspring Study subjects, whereas the prevalence of LDL cholesterol greater than or equal to 160 mg/dl was not significantly different between patients with CAD and Framingham Offspring Study subjects (26 vs 26%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)