A clinical profile of patients with coronary artery disease in Nigeria.

Observations are reported on 31 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) from Nigeria (a region where CAD is rare). Hypertension either alone (12 cases), or associated with diabetes mellitus and obesity (4 cases), with diabetes mellitus and heavy cigarette smoking (1 case) was a frequent associated illness. Serum cholesterol measured in 15 cases was high in 13, but nine others without cholesterol assay were in the high socio-economic group, and serum cholesterol was likely to be relatively elevated in them also. Hyper-cholesterolaemia was the one factor that Nigerian patients with CAD had, but which is rare in the Nigerian general population. This observation appears to support the view that other major pre-disposing factors to CAD cause this disease usually when there is a back-ground of hyperlipidaemia.