[Ischemic heart disease and its relation to basic risk factors among the rural population]

Using standard methods of the epidemiological survey the authors examined a 10% randomized sample of men aged 40 to 59 years living in a rural area. A total of 533 persons were entered into the study (a 82% coverage). Based on the epidemiological data the coronary heart disease (CHD) prevalence was established to amount to 8.8% according to the enlarged criteria (angina pectoris of effort according to the WHO cardiological questionnaire; the definite myocardial infarction with the Minnesota code categories 1.1-1,2.7; the painless pattern of CHD with categories 4.1-4.2 and 5.1-5.2 without 3.1 and 3.3; possible myocardial infarction 1.2.8, 1.3; possible myocardial ischemia 4.3, 5.3; the arrhythmic pattern 6.1, 7.1, 8.3; myocardial ischemia with left ventricle hypertrophy 4.1-4.2, 5.1-5.2 with 3.1, 3.3; possible myocardial infarction in the anamnesis in accordance with the WHO cardiological questionnaire). It was also found that in persons aged 50 to 59 years, CHD occurs 2 times as frequently as in those aged 40 to 49 years (13.1 and 5.8%, respectively). The prevalence of CHD was discovered to be about 3.5 times higher in the presence of arterial hypertension and overweight and 2 to 2.5 times higher in the presence of hypercholesterolemia, hypo-alpha-cholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia. A high correlation was noted between arterial hypertension and overweight and the prevalence of CHD before (r = 0.174 and r = 0.198, respectively) and after elimination of risk factors (r = 0.14 and r = 0.14). Among CHD patients, one risk factor was noted in 21.8%, two in 39.1%, three and more in 23.9%, whereas among persons without CHD in 32.4, 10.9 and 3.5%, respectively.