Prevalence of classical risk factors in Polish women with premature coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND

It is generally believed that in 50% of perimenopausal women several factors other than classical risk factors play a significant role in the development of premature coronary artery disease (CAD).

AIM

To determine the prevalence of five classical risk factors (cigarette smoking, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and obesity) in women aged〈 55 years with premature CAD.

METHODS

We performed a single-centre, case-control study in women〈 55 years with angiographically confirmed CAD or troponin-positive acute coronary syndrome. A total of 330 female patients were enrolled between April 2005 and January 2008. The control group consisted of 347 age-matched healthy women from a similar region selected from the National Health Survey WOBASZ study (Polish Multi-centre Population Health Survey) designed to assess the cardiovascular risk in the Polish adult population.

RESULTS

Compared to age-matched healthy controls, women with premature CAD had a very high prevalence of traditional risk factors - hypercholesterolaemia (82% vs 68%), smoking (current and former) (81% vs 48%), and hypertension (68% vs 42%). Women with premature CAD had 4.3 times more often diabetes, 1.68 times smoking and 1.63 times hypertension compared to controls. At least one of five classical risk factors was present in 98.8% of patients, compared to 89% in controls, while 10% of patients vs 1.4% of controls had all five of them.

CONCLUSIONS

Classical risk factors are present in the vast majority of females with premature CAD - in 99% of them at least one CAD risk factor is present. Premature CAD is most frequently associated with smoking, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia.