Wives of coronary high-risk men--are they also at higher risk? The Tromsø Heart Study.

Blood lipids, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), smoking, dietary and exercise habits were studied in 911 wives of men with high risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). Following the 1979/80 Tromsø Survey, 1373 men, aged 30-54 years, were identified as having high risk for CHD (HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol less than or equal to 17.6% and/or total cholesterol greater than or equal to 7.86 mmol l-1). Of the 1373 men, 911 individuals had wives who also attended the screening. These wives were compared to age-matched, married women in the general population. A significantly higher total cholesterol level (5.98 mmol l-1 vs. 5.78 mmol l-1), lower HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol (30.01% vs. 31.58%), higher BMI and higher coronary risk score (4.55 vs. 3.82) was found among the wives of the high-risk men. Furthermore, a higher proportion of these individuals were daily cigarette smokers (47.3% vs. 42.1%), and had received fewer years of education. They also had more dietary habits associated with increased risk of CHD than other married women in the general population. Our findings support the hypothesis that members of the same household as a person with increased risk for CHD also have increased risk. This is most probably due to shared lifestyle.