[Prognosis is often poor in chest pain not interpreted as angina pectoris. Simultaneous occurrence of cardiovascular risk factors increases the risk of premature death].

BACKGROUND

Typical angina pectoris is easy to recognize, but coronary insufficiency may present with nonspecific chest discomfort.

AIMS OF STUDY

We wanted to investigate long-term prognosis in men with different types of chest pain.

METHODS

A random population sample comprising 5,773 men aged 51-57 years at baseline were followed for 16 years.

RESULTS

Mortality due to coronary heart disease was 8.0% among men without chest pain, 19.5% (total mortality 44%) among those with non-specific chest pain, 24.8% (total mortality 45%) among those with typical angina and 48.5% among those with a history of myocardial infarction at baseline.

CONCLUSION

Non-specific chest pain is associated with poor prognosis, and coronary risk factors have strong predictive value.